Silver and Gold
by mzfeistyx3
Summary: AU. Imogen Moreno is like Silver; the beautiful, breathtaking, weird girl that everybody admires. Elijah Goldsworthy is like Gold; the handsome, brooding, mysterious, and the bad ass of Degrassi. Together, they create White Gold; a vulnerable alloy you cannot resist. But, what happens when this vulnerable alloy breaks in half?
1. Silver

**Author's Note: Bonjour! This is my newest fanfic story and I originally came up with it. My other fanfics were mostly based on movies that I put into my own version, but this one really came from my mind! I hope you guys enjoy! (:**

_Prologue: What ever happened? It's now different... a huge misunderstanding... leading us to where we are now. You were once my savior... and I was once your princess... but... nothing lasts forever, forever is a lie... all that we have... is what's between hello and goodbye... _

A high school by the name of Degrassi, had been a very popular school full of a bunch of high school students through ages 14-17. There were so many graduates from that school that many people will always remember and _never _forget. Now, throughout the years that have been passing by, it had now been the year of 2012, the year that many people gossip about _The world ending. _But in reality, the world isn't ending, or is it...? Trick question.

Imogen Star Moreno is now a senior at Degrassi. She's different compared to other people. She's a quirky girl, naive, unique in many ways, and she developed a lot of hate to some of the females that attend Degrassi. Imogen is a very beautiful girl, she was breathtaking to a bunch of guys in the school. Most of the guys found her very attractive, but the only thing the guys had ever cared about, was her appearance, _only _her appearance. Sure Imogen was so beautiful, but her appearance wasn't the only thing that matters.

Imogen had her hair up into two high buns; she loved that hairstyle, mostly because she's different compared to other girls. She always had on silver jewelry. She wore silver bracelets on the both of her wrists. She even wore a silver necklace that had her own name plate written on it: _Imogen._

People known her as the girl who loves silver accessories. They sometimes called her _Silver, _the Silver Metal of the school. Imogen never exactly expected to be called Silver, but as she got used to it, it made her feel really special.

xxx

Elijah Goldsworthy is a new student attending Degrassi; the mysterious bad boy who had always worn all black. They always called him _Eli _for short. He owns a hearse which is named Morty, the only person in the school who had actually owned a car. Today was his first day of school, attending Degrassi. Already there were many eyes on him as he walked down the hallways, not really caring about the eyes that were on him.

_RING! _Everybody started to clear out the hallways as they left to their classrooms. Eli had been the only one out in the hall, putting his stuff away in his locker. As he gotten all of the things put away inside of the locker, he stared at the schedule that were placed on his hand. The first class he needed to go to was his English class, which is taught by Ms. Dawes. He raised his eyebrows at all the classes he was supposed to be taking. He only needed to take four classes, which only lasted a half an hour. Eli closed his locker as he searched for his classroom.

Of course Eli had been the one to always be tardy for class; well this one really wasn't any fake excuse. He actually had an excuse, and his excuse was that he couldn't find any of his classes since he is new. Eli sighed from underneath his breath as he finally found his English class.

"Thank you," he said with relief as he placed his palm on the doorknob, turning it. _CLICK! _He opened the door as all eyes turned to him. Eli really didn't care how many eyes were on him. Ms. Dawes caught the sight of him as she smiled brightly. "You must be Elijah Goldsworthy?"

"Eli," He corrected her while nodding his head.

_afjndkgfjgd_

"Wow, that guy is fine," Marisol whispered from under her breath as Katie stared at Eli. She laughed a bit from under her breath as she locked her eyes on Marisol.

"You're always having a crush on the first guy you lock your eyes on." Katie confessed.

Marisol rolled her eyes. "I do not."

"Yes you do," Imogen spoke up from behind Marisol.

Marisol raised her eyebrows and turned around to look at Imogen. "Excuse me?"

"You _heard _me, I specifically said yes you do." Imogen said with seriousness in her tone.

"You know what Imogen? I may develop a small crush on every guy I lay my eyes on, but at least I'm not a whore like _you._" Marisol confessed. Imogen slammed her hand down onto the desk, causing everyone around her surroundings to flinch as they locked their eyes on her. Eli locked his eyes on Imogen as well as he heard this chaos.

"You're calling me a whore? You know what Marisol? You're just upset because nobody wants to be with _you _and do you know why? Because you're a self-centered bitch -"

"Imogen," Ms. Dawes called out, staring at her in shock. Imogen looked at Ms. Dawes and crossed her arms. "Yes?"

"Can you please stop causing a disturbance in this class?"

Imogen raised her eyebrows as Marisol smirked from underneath her breath. "A disturbance? I wouldn't of gotten angry is she never called me a whore."

Ms. Dawes locked her eyes on Marisol and raised her eyebrows. "Is this true?"

Marisol breathed from under her breath as she cocked her head to the side, smiling confidently. "No,"

Imogen looked at her with rage. "You are such a liar!"

"No, _you _are the liar in this scenario." Marisol pointed out, smirking.

"Marisol, if you're going to continue with that attitude of yours, you're going to have to see Mr. Simpson. But if you want to stay here, I suggest, leave Imogen alone." Ms. Dawes confessed as she locked her eyes back on Eli.

Marisol glared at Ms. Dawes as she turned around to look at Imogen. "I hate you,"

"Like I care," Imogen muttered as she rolled her eyes. Marisol groaned as she turned back to her normal position.

"Sorry for the disturbance, but there's an empty seat next to Imogen on her left." Ms. Dawes confessed as she pointed to Imogen.

Eli nodded as he walked over to his desk. Imogen cocked her head to her left as she watched the boy place his bag down as he sat down in his seat. _'He is really attractive...'_ She thought to herself as she quickly looked away, hoping that he wouldn't see her gaze on him. He had headphones around his neck. He was the only goth boy in the entire class; he was different of course. Even Imogen can tell. A light blush appeared on her face.

_'Wait... what the hell am I thinking? I don't even know this boy and I'm already attracted to him?' _She thought as she shook her head away from her thoughts. Eli turned to his right, which was now facing Imogen. Imogen kept her eyes on her paper, as she felt Eli's eyes on her. She was starting to get nervous.

Marisol looked to the left at the corner of her eye, as she noticed Eli's eyes on Imogen. Rage started to fill through her veins. She hated how his eyes were on Imogen instead of her. She noticed him reaching out to touch her shoulder, trying to get her attention towards him. Before he could tap Imogen's shoulder, Marisol quickly turned around to face him, smiling widely. "Hi, I'm Marisol Lewis, nice to meet you."

Eli pulled his arm back to his side as he now locked his eyes on Marisol. "Uh... hey,"

"So you're new here right? Mind if I ask what is your name?" Marisol asked him.

"Eli," He confessed as he exchanged glances from Marisol to Imogen. Imogen kept staring at her paper, pretending to read what she had wrote on it. She felt Eli's eyes on her still, but she never intended to look his way.

"You have an _attractive _name." Marisol exclaimed flirtatiously as she started to twirl her brown hair.

Imogen quirked her head up to look at Marisol, glaring at her. Marisol didn't seem to notice Imogen's eyes on her as she continued to converse with Eli.

"Oh really?" Eli asked Marisol as he raised his eyebrows, smirking.

"Yeah," Marisol admitted as she laughed a bit from underneath her breath. "I was wondering, if you're not doing anything later, would you like to go out on a date with me?"

Imogen raised her eyebrows and began to speak up from behind Marisol. "You're already asking him out?" She confessed with irritation in her tone.

Marisol exchanged glances from Eli to Imogen as she pursed her eyebrows together. "You're not in this conversation." Marisol clearly stated.

"Sure," Eli spoke up, answering Marisol's question.

Imogen's jaw dropped as she locked her eyes on Eli. "Are you serious right now? You're really considering on going on a date with _her?_" Imogen asked him, pointing her index finger at Marisol.

Eli now met his eyes with Imogen's, staring into her chocolate brown eyes. Imogen saw Eli's eye color. The color of green, like emerald... This made Imogen feel a bit nervous.

"Is there a problem with that?" He asked her, smirking from under his breath. Imogen stared into his eyes in awe. _'wow...' _She thought.

Imogen quickly shook her head from her thoughts and decided to answer his question. "Yes, there is a problem with that. Do you want to know why? Because she is a backstabbing whore. She obviously isn't a good person and I know this because I had to put up with her for two years already." Imogen clearly stated as she cleared her throat.

Eli shrugged as he listened to her point of view. "Not my problem," He stated as he placed his headphones against his ears so he was able to listen to his music, ignoring her. Imogen pursed her eyebrows together as her fist curled up into a tight ball.

Marisol laughed from under her breath and winked at Eli from the corner of her eye. Eli felt startled by this, he wasn't really liking the fact that Marisol is already flirting with him.

_DING! _Everybody in the class had soon left the classroom, including Eli and Marisol. Imogen's jaw dropped as she noticed everyone had left. She groaned from underneath her breath as she put all of her stuff away, getting up from her desk. She soon left out of the room, as she walked down the hallway, to get to her locker. Everyone had their eyes set on Imogen, especially the guys. They were all admiring her beauty, but Imogen had gotten used to all of this attention every time she had entered the hallways. She now reached her locker and opened it, placing all of her stuff on the inside of her locker to get ready for class.

"I am not ready to deal with Ms. Darcy." said a voice. Imogen looked up to her right to notice Bianca before her. Bianca DeSousa had always been her best friend from the start, sure she can be a real bitch to many people, but Bianca had been a bit more nicer to Imogen, compared to other girls.

"I like Art class, it's fun... besides, it's the only class I really get to have fun in, except for gym..." Imogen muttered as she grabbed her sketchbook out from her locker, along with her Hello Kitty box full of colored pencils, pencils, crayons, and markers. Bianca rolled her eyes as she leaned against the lockers.

"The work that Ms. Darcy makes us do is boring. Remember last year when she made us build bird houses out of wood? My bird house looks like shit." Bianca confessed.

Imogen smiled brightly as she closed her locker shut, locking her eyes on Bianca.

"Well probably today's assignment would be more easier to do."

Bianca rolled her eyes at this as she shifted her back off of the locker, walking side by side with Imogen. "I don't want to do any of her assignments. Every assignment that I complete looks like shit." Bianca exclaimed. Imogen shook her head at this comment.

"Stop downing yourself, I honestly think your work is outstanding compared to everyone else's."

"What the hell are you talking about? _You're _the best artist throughout the entire class." Bianca confessed, denying Imogen's comment about her.

"Not really," Imogen disagreed.

After a few seconds, the two reached their art class. Bianca walked in through the doorway first, ignoring all eyes on her. She saw her boyfriend, Fitz and winked at him as she walked over to him, now sitting in his lap. Imogen walked over to an empty table and set all of her things down, eyeing Bianca and Fitz from the corner of her eye. She felt like her best friend was always distant from her, but she would never admit that to Bianca.

Imogen sighed as she sat down in her seat, opening her sketchbook as she pulled out a sketching pencil from her Hello Kitty box. She soon placed her box down and started to sketch out a picture of a flower, a flower covered in blood. It was supposed to mean that the flower was hurting, it was broken, and bleeding. It meant that it was seeking for help, like it wanted to be accepted, but in reality it never was. Imogen concentrated really hard on her sketch, forgetting everything around her surroundings. She was in like her own little world, forgetting that she was in her art class.

A book bag slammed onto the table in front of Imogen's sketchbook. Imogen flinched at this moment as she quickly closed her sketchbook so this person wouldn't see her drawing. Her teeth chattered as she looked up to find the boy she had seen before in her English class. He smirked down at her as he pulled out his sketchbook from his book bag, setting it down on the table. Imogen pulled her sketchbook away from Eli so he wouldn't dare try to look at her sketch. He sat down in his seat across from her, having his headphones over his eyes. "Did I scare you?"

Imogen shook her head at this. "No,"

"You seemed pretty lost in your own world when you were drawing." He confessed anxiously as he pulled out a pencil from his book bag as well.

"And what do you know about _lost?_" Imogen spoke up as she raised her eyebrows, resting her chin on her palm.

"A lot," Eli responded as a smirk appeared on his face.

Imogen rolled her eyes at this. Eli locked his eyes on her sketchbook as he grabbed it in his hand. Imogen's eyes widened as she tried to snatch her sketchbook back. Eli shoved her hand away as he opened her sketchbook to find a flower that was bleeding. Imogen's face turned as red as a rose.

"Give that back," She hissed lowly. Eli shook his head as he examined the picture closely. He stared at the flower on the white paper with blood dripping from it.

"A bloody flower?" He asked her as his eyes tore away from the sketch to Imogen's eyes.

Imogen looked down shyly. "Yes..."

"It looks nice..." He confessed as he studied the sketch. "Are you _okay?_" He asked her, tearing his eyes away from the sketchbook to her eyes, with worryness in his voice.

Imogen frowned softly. "I'm fine..."

"Are you sure?" He asked her again, not believing her first response. Imogen shook her head. "Yes, I'm sure..." She responded in the most unsuspicious way she can.

Eli stared at her intensely, like he was staring into her soul. He knew she wasn't alright and he can feel it. He soon tore his eyes away from her, taking one last look at her sketch. He sighed from underneath his breath after closing it and handing it back to her.

Imogen gratefully took it from his hands as she smiled at him.

Another backpack had slammed onto the table as both Imogen and Eli looked up to see who it was. It was Fitz, he was on Eli's side of the table. Bianca walked over to the table as well, sitting in the empty seat next to Imogen. Fitz set his book bag down in his seat, locking his eyes on Eli. "You're that new kid, Eli right?"

"Yeah," Eli confessed.

Bianca smirked. "Mind if I call you Dr. Doom?"

Eli shrugged in response as he opened his own sketchbook, now drawing a picture of a hand covered in blood. He didn't care who was watching him or thought about the drawing.

"Ms. Darcy isn't here today, fuck yes." Fitz said as he threw his pencil down on the table.

Eli smirked from the corner of his mouth.

Imogen had opened up her sketchbook again and stared at her new sketch of a flower that was bleeding. She sighed from under her breath as she looked at it. Bianca turned her head to look at Imogen's sketch with a small frown on her face. "Why are you always drawing stuff like that?"

Imogen locked her eyes on Bianca and sighed. "Reasons," She responded as she pulled the sketchbook away from Bianca.

"You drawn a flower that was bleeding, Imogen." Bianca exclaimed.

"It's just a drawing," Eli spoke up, staring intensely at Bianca. Imogen tore her eyes away from Bianca, as she looked down.

"Anyways, since Ms. Darcy isn't here, what should we do?" Fitz wondered.

"I'm not doing anything because she's not even here." Bianca confessed as she pulled out her phone from her bag.

Imogen was eyeing Eli from the corner of her eye, watching him sketch out a hand full of blood. Why was he drawing a hand covered in blood? She didn't know.

"Is that a hand convered in blood?" Fitz wondered, having his eyes on the drawing Eli was sketching out.

Eli shrugged. "Maybe," He muttered as he continued to sketch out the hand covered in blood. Imogen shifted her head up to look at the sketch more closely. "Is there a certain meaning to it?" She asked him with curiosity. Eli tore his eyes away from the sketch to look at Imogen.

_"When you're in love with someone you lost, all you can think about is killing yourself." _Eli exclaimed with a very intense tone in his voice.

Imogen blinked nervously. "I-I'm sorry..."

Eli shook his head. "There's nothing for you to apologize for, I'm fine."

Eli stared into her chocolate brown eyes, feeling nervous on the inside of him. She was beautiful. He never felt like this with any girl, except for his dead ex-girlfriend. Imogen was interesting in his eyes, she was different.

"So I hear you're going out on a date with Marisol Lewis." Fitz confessed as he cleared his throat. Eli tore his eyes away from Imogen as he closed his sketchbook.

"Yeah," Eli scoffed.

"Out of all chicks, you're going out on a date with _her?_"

Eli shrugged. "She asked me out, I couldn't just bail out on her."

"What the hell Dr. Doom? That girl is a skanky little bastard, you had the ability to bail out on her. But you must have been so hardheaded." Bianca confessed as she placed her phone down on the table.

Eli rolled his eyes as he placed his sketchbook back inside his book bag.

xxx

It was dark outside and Eli had been on the inside of his hearse, driving. He was driving to Marisol's house to pick her up. They were going to the movies to see Paranormal Activity 3. Boy did Eli hate those movies, it seemed really boring to him. The radio was blasting of course with the song_ Whispers in The Dark by Skillet._

_Despite the lies that you're making  
>Your love is mine for the taking<br>My love is  
>Just waiting<br>To turn your tears to roses  
>I will be the one that's gonna hold you<br>I will be the one that you run to  
>My love is<br>A burning, consuming fire._

This was the type of music Eli listen's to of course. He finally reached Marisol's house as he placed Morty in front of her lawn. He didn't intend on getting out of course. _How nice of you, Eli._

Marisol had soon came out from the doorway of her house. She was dressed in a purple short strapless dress with black heels on. She was also wearing purple eye shadow with light pink lipstick on her lips. She smiled at Eli from afar as she closed the door behind her. She began walking over to the hearse with her heels making a tapping noise as she took every step. She opened the door of the hearse as she stepped inside, closing the door before her.

"Hey," She said with excitement.

"Hey," Eli scoffed as he tore his eyes away from Marisol, now locking them on the road as he started the car to drive. Marisol was all dressed up, as if she was going to a dance or something. Eli was dressed in all black of course; he was wearing his baggy black pants, his black leather jacket, and his Dead Hand shirt. He wasn't exactly all dressed up for this _date _like Marisol was.

Marisol was waiting for Eli to say something about the way she looked, but no words came out from his mouth. "Um... aren't you going to say something?"

"Say what?" Eli scoffed, raising up the volume on the radio.

"How do I look?" Marisol asked him, her eyes brightening.

"Nice," Eli remarked, not even intending on checking her out.

_No  
>You'll never be alone<br>When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars  
>Hear the whispers in the dark<br>No  
>You'll never be alone<br>When darkness comes you know I'm never far  
>Hear the whispers in the dark<br>Whispers in the dark._

Marisol groaned from underneath her breath as she locked her eyes on the window on her right. The music that was playing on the radio didn't seem to take Marisol's interest at all. She locked her eyes on the radio and turned it to a different station. The song that was playing _now _was _Hello, Good Morning by P. Diddy and Dirty Money._

_Hello, Good morning  
>lets go, lets ride,<br>Hello, Good morning  
>Hello, Good morning<br>Know you've been waiting for it  
>'cause I seen you watching<br>so lets go  
>lets get it popping<em>  
><em>Cause I've been leaning on the bar<br>looking cleaner than the star  
>all these broads wont give me my props<br>25 on the bank I be stunting on their ass  
>and they mad cause the bitch won't stop.<em>

"This is my jam!" Marisol confessed as she raised up the volume.

Eli listened to the music, seeming less interested in it. This wasn't his type of music of course, and it was a turn off. He placed his hand on the radio to low down the volume. Marisol pursed her eyebrows together. "Uhm... what are you doing?"

_Silence._

Marisol rolled her eyes as she raised the volume back up. Eli became very frustrated. This wasn't his type of music and she just decided to raise up the volume to annoy him even more. He glared at the road intensely as his fists tightened on the wheel. He sure as hell didn't want to go on a date with her. _'This is going to be the worst night of my life.' _He thought.

**Author's Note: Bahahaha! I must confess that I am using WordPad and this fucking shit is fucking shitty as fucking fuck. O_O Microsoft Word doesn't work on this laptop. (My sister's laptop) and I find it very irritating! I apologize if I have any grammar errors. ._. Anyways, leave me reviews! I REALLY REALLY Want reviews! I want a bunch! xD haha. okay. Follow me on twitter: mzfeistyx3**


	2. Gold

**Author's Note: Hey so here's chapter 2! Did any of you read the Prologue from Chapter 1? It's supposed to be a foreshadow for this story. Anywho… there's a special "someone" that is going to make an appearance in this story, and it leads to a bunch of drama. All I can say is… it is an oc Character, and it is a male! That is all. Okay, enjoy!**

As the two arrived at the theater, it was full with familiar faces. That's probably because this theater is one of the biggest theaters in Toronto, Canada. The theater itself was called _White Gold; _it's a very famous theater that many people loved to go to. It was packed of course, and the lines for the tickets were full. Eli groaned from underneath his breath. "Are you sure you want to see this movie?"

Marisol nodded. "I love all of the Paranormal Activity movies. They are fucking awesome."

Eli rolled his eyes at this. He hated those movies so much because it seemed boring to him. Nothing interesting really happens in those movies anyways – that is his personal opinion. He wanted this supposedly _date _to end already. It was making him very frustrated. Boy is Marisol so boring to hang out with…

A familiar shade of brown hair caught his attention on his left. He glowered at the brunette he had been completely been interested with. Imogen was at the movies as well with her friends Bianca and Fitz. He never exactly said that he felt something for her, but she is just… _attention-grabbing _to him, like a puzzle he couldn't solve. Marisol continued ranting on and on about how much she loved the Paranormal Activity movies, but obviously Eli wasn't listening to her. His eyes were on Imogen the whole time and she didn't even notice she was there. He had the urge to walk over to her and talk to her, but he couldn't. Marisol soon noticed that Eli wasn't listening to her as she groaned from underneath her breath. Her gaze followed his as it landed on the brunette she sincerely hated.

"Why are you paying attention to that circus clown?" Marisol hissed.

Eli tore his eyes away from Imogen and glared at Marisol with a powerful look. "She's _not _a circus clown." He declared as he started to pay for his ticket for the both of them. The man had handed him the tickets as Eli grabbed them from his hand. The two walked inside of the theater and lined up in a short line to get popcorn.

Imogen, Bianca, and Fitz were on the opposite line of them. They didn't even notice Eli and Marisol were there as well.

Marisol continued ranting on about how much she loved the Paranormal Activity movies. Eli continued to ignore her. Boy was she annoying…

"I didn't know Dr. Doom was here." Said a voice that had grabbed Eli's attention. He recognized that familiar voice as he saw a shade of brown curly hair. _Bianca._

Marisol stopped ranting as she discovered Bianca as well.

"I'll be right back," Eli muttered as he sauntered over to the group. Marisol grumbled from underneath her breath as she watched Eli saunter away.

"Oh, what's up Emo Boy," Fitz alleged as he put up his hand for Eli to grab, shaking it before pulling it away. Imogen just stared at Eli as she looked away before he could notice that she was staring at him.

"So what movie are you seeing?" Bianca questioned, grabbing the popcorn from the woman's hand.

"Paranormal Activity 3," Eli retorted before shoving his hands on the inside of his pockets.

"You should sit with us, I'm sure you do not want to be alone with _Marisol._" Fitz submitted after pointing out Marisol's name.

Eli nodded at this. "It'll be a pleasure," He declared as he locked his eyes on Imogen. She was staring down at the floor awkwardly in silence.

"Daydreaming about something?" He questioned before licking his bottom lip.

Imogen's eyes soon tore away from the floor as she met them with Eli's emerald green eyes. She loved to stare into them because they were a very nice-looking color on him. Before he could notice why she was staring at him that way, she shook her head.

"Not even close," She chirped. "Enjoying your date?"

Eli shrugged as he smirked down at the brunette. "And how is that any of your concern?"

Imogen rolled her eyes before crossing her arms over her chest. "If it turns out into a disaster date, don't come crawling to me crying."

"Haha, real funny," Eli sneered as he flipped his bangs to the side.

Marisol walked over to the group with a huge bag full of popcorn and two sodas in her hand. "Uh, honey? Here's your drink," Marisol declared as she handed Eli his drink. Eli didn't even bother looking at Marisol. He was just too annoyed with that girl. Marisol locked her eyes on Imogen and smirked deviously. "Jealous that a girl like _you _doesn't have a date?"

Imogen tore her eyes away from Eli as she locked them on Marisol, glaring powerfully at her. "I have much better things to do than to worry about your retarded love life." She replied harshly as she walked past Marisol, heading towards the theater aisle. She pulled out her ticket from her purse as she handed it to the young man before her. She smiled gratefully at him as she walked past the young man, entering the theater room.

Eli smirked slightly as he walked over to the aisle as well, along with Marisol, Bianca and Fitz. They all handed the man their tickets before entering the theater room as well. Eli had his eyes set on how many seating rows there were in the theater room. He soon spotted Imogen sitting all the way in the back, in the last row. She raised her hand to receive Fitz and Bianca's attention before pulling her hand down. They spotted her before running up the steps to reach her row as they sat in the empty seats next to her. Eli sighed before thinking where he should sit.

"Let's sit right over there," Marisol pointed out at the row in the middle in a suggestive tone. He sure as hell didn't want to sit there. He shook his head before returning his gaze back on Imogen.

"Let's sit with them," He muttered before walking up each step as he finally reached the last seating row. Marisol groaned before following him, rolling her eyes.

Eli noticed there was an empty seat next to Imogen. She wouldn't mind him sitting there, now would she? He smirked before walking over to the girl as he sat in the empty seat next to her. Imogen narrowed her eyes at Eli before placing some popcorn on the inside of her mouth.

"I was saving that seat for the moon." She beamed with a mouth full of popcorn.

"I guess the _moon _has to sit somewhere else," Eli confessed before slouching down in his seat. Marisol glared at the two as she soon locked her eyes on the large movie screen to watch the previews. She was sitting in the empty seat next to Eli, but he wasn't paying any attention to her, which made her very frustrated.

Imogen giggled softly before turning her head to her right as she poked Fitz's shoulder. He scowled before turning his head towards her. "What _Silver?_"

Imogen pursed her eyebrows together before grabbing the box of nachos that were sitting on his lap. She smiled innocently before dipping a nacho into the cheese as she placed it on the inside of her mouth before chewing it.

Fitz rolled his eyes before locking them on his curly haired girlfriend. "Are you going to share some of that soda?" He asked her as he watched her sip on the straw to drink before removing her lips from the straw.

"Probably," Bianca muttered before smiling sheepishly at her boyfriend.

"Probably?" He questioned before grabbing the soda out of her hands before drinking some of it as he returned it to her.

"I really want to see The Hunger Games." Imogen muttered as she watched the previews. She really didn't want to see Paranormal Activity 3 because she never exactly liked those movies. It never caught her interest.

"You're not the only one," Eli whispered as a small smirk formed on his face. Imogen smiled softly from underneath her breath as she stared at her hands. It was really cold in the theater room and goose bumps scattered all over Imogen's arm. Her teeth started chattering due to the cold temperature; she was obviously freezing. Eli narrowed his eyes at her, noticing how cold she was. He sighed before removing his leather jacket as he handed it to her. Imogen smiled appreciatively before putting on his warm leather jacket. She felt so warm now and cozy. "Thank you," She whispered before locking her eyes back on the movie screen.

Marisol glanced at the two from the corner of her eye. She groaned silently as she watched Eli pay more attention to Imogen.

"If you're still cold, you can lay your head on my chest." Eli suggested before clearing his throat. Imogen's eyes lit up as she blushed lightly before laying her head on Eli's chest, keeping her eyes on the movie. '_Why is he being so nice?' _She thought. _'He is so warm…'_

Marisol was fuming as she turned her head to the two. "Why are you letting her rest her head on your chest? I am _your _girlfriend." She declared before glaring at Imogen. Eli narrowed his eyes at Marisol before raising his eyebrows. He shrugged in response and locked his eyes back on the movie screen. Marisol's jaw dropped in response before crossing her arms over her chest as she locked her eyes back on the movie screen. _'What does she have that I don't have?' _She thought.

xxx

An hour passed and Imogen just fell asleep on his chest, forgetting that she was in a movie theater. Eli scoffed before looking down at Imogen. He noticed her eye lids were closed before a small smirk formed on his face. Marisol was just sitting in her seat, hugging her knees as she watched the movie. Eli didn't even bother comforting her and she was getting very unsatisfied. Why wasn't he paying any attention to her? Why did he have to have all of his attention on Imogen? She didn't know the answers but she certainly didn't like Imogen at _all. _Technically, Marisol really isn't Eli's girlfriend, but she was _his _date. Eli returned his gaze on Marisol before sighing from underneath his breath. She had a frown on her face.

"What's wrong?" Eli whispered questioningly. Marisol turned her head towards him before responding. "Like you don't know," She hissed before dropping her knees down in her seat. She crossed her arms over her chest before rolling her eyes.

Eli sighed before speaking. "The only reason I'm being nice to _her _is because I saw a sketch that she drew."

"A sketch?" Marisol questioned with disinterest in her tone. He nodded in response before looking down at the brunette. She was still sleeping and it made him smile slightly. He turned his head to look at Fitz and Bianca. The two were focused on the movie, never taking their eyes off of it. _'Seems like they're really interested in this move…' _He thought before returning his gaze on the movie screen.

"What kind of sketch did she even draw?" Marisol whispered before returning her gaze back on the movie screen as well.

"It doesn't matter," Eli muttered before breathing heavily.

Eli felt the need to comfort Imogen. Ever since he saw that sketch of a flower covered in blood, he felt like something was wrong. He couldn't make out what exactly could have been wrong, but normally when someone draws stuff like that, something is obviously wrong. He also _just _met this girl and he's _already _trying to protect her from whatever reason. Imogen moved her head slightly before shifting her head up as she now sat up straight in her seat. Eli narrowed his eyes at her actions before licking his lips.

The movie soon ended and the lights of the theater soon came on, causing Imogen to wake up even more. Fitz and Bianca rose from their seats as they glanced at the brunette sitting. "You were sleeping during the entire movie." Fitz declared before putting on his jacket.

"We should've seen The Hunger Games instead; Imogen would've been awake during the entire movie." Bianca exclaimed as she waited for Imogen to rise from her seat.

Eli and Marisol soon rose from their seats before glancing at Imogen. Imogen buried her face into her hands as a head ache started to occur. She didn't want to move and she felt so stressed out. Marisol linked arms with Eli as she rolled her eyes at the brunette. "Can we just leave the circus clown here?"

Bianca stepped forward as she slammed a hand on Marisol's shoulder, jerking her arm away from Eli's. "You're just upset because _he's _paying attention more to her than to you. And considering _you're _the skanky bitch in this scenario, you die first." Bianca exclaimed as she walked past Marisol, grunting as Fitz followed along, snickering from underneath his breath. Marisol groaned before locking her eyes on Eli. "Can we leave now?"

"You can go," Eli spoke before picking up Imogen bridal style. She had her arms around his neck as her head was lying comfortably on his chest.

"Are you seriously ditching me for _her?_" Marisol questioned as she pointed at the brunette in his arms.

Eli rolled his eyes before walking past her. "No, now shut up and stop complaining." He remarked harshly as he walked out of the theater. Marisol growled from under her breath as she followed along, feeling very envious of the two.

_Asdjafdsfdsfd_

Eli placed Imogen down so she was able to stand up straight. She touched her head before looking around at all the cars surrounded around her.

"Where's… Bianca and…" She trailed off her sentence as her eyes started to close. Eli noticed this as she fell into Eli's arms. He grabbed a hold of her as he gulped nervously, looking at the brunette in his arms. She just suddenly passed out on him. He quickly picked her up bridal style and opened the door of his hearse as he laid her down in the back seat. He closed the door shut before climbing into the passenger's seat, slamming the door closed.

Marisol narrowed her eyes at the back of the hearse and discovered Imogen lying down in the seat. Rage started to fill through her veins as she returned her gaze on Eli. "What is she doing here?" She hissed, demanding for an answer.

"She passed out okay!" Eli screamed harshly before putting the keys into the ignition, starting the hearse. He slowly pulled out from the parking lot and started driving in a more open area.

Marisol turned her gaze out the window on her left, frowning slightly.

A couple of minutes passed by as they finally arrived at Marisol's house. Eli slowed down his hearse as he stopped at her lawn. He kept his gaze on the window, not even daring to look at Marisol. Marisol noticed as she opened the door, muttering a _'Thank you for taking me home,' _as she climbed out of the hearse. She started walking to her house as she turned her head to get one last glance at Eli, but he was already _gone._

_Asdhfsjdfnsjfd_

Eli looked in the rear view mirror to see if Imogen woke up, but her eyes were still closed. He sighed as he finally reached her house. He parked the hearse in her lawn as he opened the door and climbed out.

Eli grabbed a hold of the back door and opened it as he saw Imogen lying down with her eyes closed. She suddenly passed out on him unexpectedly and he didn't know how to react. He sighed before picking her up bridal style after closing the door. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and her head was lying comfortably on his chest. Eli stared down at the brunette before walking to the front door of her house. He carefully pressed his palm on the doorbell before ringing it. After a few seconds passed by, the door finally opened to reveal a woman with black hair. She crossed her arms over her chest after staring at the brunette that was wrapped in his arms.

"Are you Imogen's mother?" Eli asked with curiosity.

The black haired woman nodded. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing. She suddenly passed out and I decided to bring her here…" He declared.

The woman stepped aside for Eli to come in. Eli noticed this as he stepped inside of the house.

"You can take her to her room. It's the first door upstairs on the left." She declared before staring at the boy. Eli nodded as he walked up the stairs, finally reaching the top.

He opened the door on the left and stepped inside. The room was dark and he couldn't see anything. He placed his palm on the wall after finding the light switch. He switched it on as the light revealed her entire room. He gazed around the room before closing the door behind him. The room was colored red. Her bed sheets were colored black, red, and white. Her room looked different in his eyes compared to his ex-gilfriend's room. Julia always had her room dark, with black walls and black bed sheets.

Eli walked over to her bed as he placed the brunette down on the bed. He saw a mirror in her room full of pictures scattered upon it. As he walked over to the mirror full of pictures, he gazed around all of her pictures. There was a picture of her with Bianca when they were only ten years old. It showed them hugging each other excitedly. Eli smirked to himself as he looked at this picture. A soft moan escaped Imogen's lips as Eli turned around, narrowing his eyes at her as he heard this. She slowly sat up on her bed as she opened her eyes, stretching her arms over her head. She scratched her head before narrowing her eyes at Eli, wondering why exactly he was in _her _house in _her _room. "…what are you doing here?"

"You passed out so… I took you here." Eli confessed after walking over to the brunette. Imogen pursed her eyebrows together before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why are you being so nice to me? You're dating Marisol, did you not forget?" Imogen declared harshly after glaring at him powerfully.

He smirked slightly before rolling his eyes. "This is how you thank me?"

"I have nothing to thank you for," Imogen exclaimed harshly as she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well _Silver, _I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow." Eli confessed before opening the door of her room, stepping out of the door. Imogen narrowed her eyes after noticing the name reference her put on her.

"My name is Imogen!" She screeched before groaning underneath her breath.

"Whatever," Eli spoke, not really caring as he closed the door behind him.

xxx

The next day was the usual for Imogen. She walked down the hall while a ton of guys were drooling over her. None of them seemed to take her interest at all. They were only admiring her looks and she sure as hell hated that. They never cared about her personality and that was such a turn off. She wanted someone who accepted her, for who she was, not someone who only cared for her _looks. _Eli… is different compared to the other guys she had met. He is a jerk of course, but he can be nice sometimes. When he handed her his leather jacket in the theater to keep her warm, she appreciated it. She also found it very sweet when he let her rest her head on his chest.

Imogen reached her locker as she opened it, placing her books inside of her locker.

"Hey _Silver,_" A voice spoke. Imogen turned her head to her left as she noticed a boy with a New York Yankees hat on. He looked Hispanic and he was obviously a pretty boy. He smirked as he placed his hand against the locker next to hers after turning his hat backwards.

"Oh hey, _Jose." _ Imogen replied as she grabbed her apron out of her locker before closing it. Jose is Bianca's brother, age of seventeen and a senior in Degrassi. Jose was always dragging many girls attention from every corner. He was so attractive that many girls died to go out with him, but he felt that these girls are little _sluts _for his liking. He wanted someone who doesn't care just about his looks. He wanted a girl that cared about his personality, for the way he is… just like Imogen. Imogen was different compared to other girls he had met; she never was like any other girl, and of course she is not a _slut _in his eyes. This boy always had a thing for her… but she never knew about it.

"Do you know what we're doing in cooking class today? I wanna bake cookies." Jose declared.

Imogen giggled lightly before walking past Jose. He followed her, walking side by side with her.

"You are obsessed with cookies, Jose. I should call you Cookie Monster for now on." Imogen joked before laughing from under her breath.

"And you are obsessed with silver jewelry, Imogen. You come to school every day with silver on, like do you ever change the style?" Jose questioned after shaking his head.

Imogen rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Actually, my mother gave me this silver necklace when I was only thirteen years old and now I am obsessed with silver jewelry."

Jose stared at her silver necklace with the name _Imogen _engraved on it. He smirked to himself before returning his gaze at the people surrounded around the halls. "No wonder,"

The two finally reached their cooking class as Imogen entered the room first, along with Jose following her from behind. She looked around for an empty desk and walked over to it as she sat in her seat. Jose sat in the seat next to her before setting his bag down.

"Ms. Rose!" Jose screeched loud enough for her to hear as he raised his hand. The entire class locked their eyes on him as if he was an immature person.

Ms. Rose turned around to take a look at the boy after crossing her arms over her chest. "Yes Mr. DeSousa?"

"Are we going to bake cookies? I've been craving cookies." Jose declared after putting his hand down.

Ms. Rose shook her head as she pointed to the cook book. "Today we're learning how to make Lasagna,"

"That has a bunch of sauce in it though!" Jose growled before glaring at the teacher.

Ms. Rose shrugged, not really caring. "This _is _a cooking class Mr. DeSousa, whether you like it or not, we're learning how to make Lasagna." She replied harshly after returning her eyes back on the cook book. "Okay everyone, there's a pot on each and every one of your desks. I want you fill the pot in warm water and place it on the stove to number eight so it can warm up quickly."

Everyone got up and did as she said before a boy with black hair stepped into the classroom with a late pass in his hand. He looked at the teacher before walking over to her. "Uh, sorry I'm late," He said after giving her the late pass.

She looked at him as if he was an insect, an insect that needed to be squashed quickly. "Mr. Goldsworthy, are you going to be a troublemaker in my classroom?"

He pursed his eyebrows together after shaking his head. "No, this is the first time I was ever late in this class."

"Don't give me excuses Mr. Goldsworthy. Now go get the pot from your desk and fill it up with warm water, _now_." She demanded as Eli sighed from underneath his breath. He sauntered over to an empty desk beside Jose.

Jose smirked as he looked at the boy in all black. "We're making Lasagna today, what the fuck is up with that shit?"

Eli shrugged after a soft laugh escaped his lips. "I don't know – is Ms. Rose always this grumpy?"

"Ms. Rose doesn't give two shits about anyone. If you're late in her class, she'll be strict in your cases." Jose warned after returning his eyes on his pot full of water, placing it on the stove before setting it to eight.

Imogen narrowed her eyes at the two. "Since when are _you _two friends?" She wondered after taking the box of noodles before opening it and throwing it into the pot.

"Since today," Eli declared before a small smirk formed on his face. He placed his book bag down next to his chair as he grabbed the pot before filling it with warm water. After he did this, he placed it on the stove before setting it to eight.

Jose sighed before he plopped down in his seat after putting on his apron. "Do you realize how messy it is to make Lasagna? There's noodles, sauce, hamburger meat, and cheese." He groaned before shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants.

Eli grabbed the apron from inside of his desk as he put it on. "Why does my apron have to be _golden-yellow? _I prefer black."

"Aw, Eli Goldsworthy is upset because his apron isn't black. We can't always beautiful things, Eli." Imogen joked after putting on her silver-gray apron. "My apron is my _favorite _color gray, which is because it looks like silver."

"Are you always obsessed with stuff that has _silver _in it? You're always being seen with silver… _everything._" Eli confessed after staring at her like she was high or some shit.

Jose laughed as he sat in the middle of the two, listening to them bickering at each other. "Immy has always been the _silver _girl." He declared before opening his box of noodles as well, throwing it into the pot.

"Of course you _would _say something, Jose." Imogen replied after rolling her eyes. Jose smirked to himself after rising up from his seat.

Jose shrugged before narrowing his eyes on Eli. "So I hear you're dating the biggest slut in the school,"

Eli pursed his eyebrows together after shaking his head. "I don't know why she's implying that I'm her girlfriend; I never confirmed that we were dating." He stated.

"Then she must be desperate to be your girlfriend." Jose replied after returning his gaze on the stove, opening the pack of hamburger meat. He made a disgusted face as he stared at the uncooked meat. "God damn it,"

**Author's Note: Many of you know who Jose DeSousa is! He is a very famous oc character on a twitter RolePlay account, and many people wishes the writers would ever create a Jose so he can be Bianca's brother. Anywho… Jose is a very important part in this story, you'll know why later. (; And follow me on twitter: mzfeistyx3**


	3. Diamonds

**Author's Note: Here's chapter 3! By the way, I want you guys to answer this question for me okay? Team Eli or Team Jose? Choose! **

Cooking class was over and it was time for fourth period. Imogen gathered all her things together before removing her apron. She locked her eyes on Eli and Jose before a smile formed on her face. "Are you both going to lunch?"

"Yes," They both replied before gathering their things together as well.

Imogen nodded as she walked passed the two. "Well see you at lunch," She chirped as she walked out of the classroom.

_Asdgfdgrgrdd_

Bianca slammed her plate down on the table, causing Imogen to flinch. Fitz slammed his plate down on the table as well across from Imogen. "You know, you could always place your plates on the table gently instead of slamming it." Imogen beamed as she placed a strawberry inside her mouth before chewing it.

Bianca shrugged in response as she picked up her cheeseburger before taking one bite out of it. "Have you seen Jose? That little bastard has my iPod."

"Wasn't he in that cooking class with you and Emo Boy?" Fitz questioned, eyeing Imogen.

"Yes... they're supposed to be here," Imogen confessed as she gazed around the Cafeteria, looking for Eli and Jose. _'Where are they?' _She thought.

Fitz's phone vibrated as he shoved his hand into the pockets of his pants before grabbing his phone. He flipped it open to discover a new message from Eli.

_To: Fitz_

_From: Eli_

_- There's a silver rose I put in Imogen's locker, tell her to go there._

Fitz raised his eyebrows as he read over the text message once more before closing it shut. He placed his phone back inside of his pocket as he narrowed his eyes at Imogen before speaking. "Go check your locker."

Imogen looked at him with a confused facial expression. "Why?"

"There's something important in there,"

Imogen pursed her eyebrows together before standing up on her feet. As she walked over to the garbage can, she threw her empty plate in there. Imogen sauntered out of the Cafeteria before entering the empty hallway. She slowly walked down the hall as she finally reached her locker. "I wonder what is _so _important in there," She muttered after opening her locker.

A silver rose caught her eye as she raised her eyebrows. She grabbed a hold of the rose from her locker before smelling it. The aroma made her blush a tint shade of red. She noticed a note attached to it as she grabbed it in her hand before reading over it.

_This is for you, __**Imo **__- Eli._

Imogen blushed shyly before closing her locker. The bell rang and everyone started surrounding the halls. Imogen's head shot up as she noticed this before re-opening her locker. Her last class of the day was History. This class aggravated her so much because the work the teacher gives the students are either too much work or too hard. Imogen was supposed to take Algebra and Reading, but from her previous year she had received over 100 percent average. The only classes she needed to take this year was Language Arts/Drama, Art, Cooking, and History.

Imogen groaned as she grabbed her History book out of her locker. She closed it shut before walking down the hall. All eyes were on her once again. Many girls were gossiping about the silver rose in her hand while others were just staring at her, admiring her beauty. Imogen rolled her eyes as she finally reached her History class. She entered the room as she saw Jose in his seat, slouching with a bored expression across his face. Imogen giggled lightly as she walked over to him before sitting in the empty seat next to him.

Jose narrowed his eyes at the silver rose she was holding. "I'm guessing you received _that _from a secret admirer?"

Imogen shot her head up before blushing. "Actually, I found it in my locker and it had a note attached to it."

"And who was it from?" Jose questioned after turning his New York Yankees hat backwards.

"Eli Goldsworthy," Imogen replied happily as she stared at the silver rose in awe once again, admiring it.

Jose nodded slightly, looking down at his hands. "...you like him, don't you?"

Imogen looked at him as she dropped the silver rose on her desk. Her face turned as red as a rose as she shook her head. "No! I would _never _like a cold-hearted bastard like him!" Imogen declared after crossing her arms over her chest.

Jose returned his gaze on the brunette, giving her a powerful glare. "You're lying to yourself."

Imogen pursed her eyebrows together before responding to his comment. "And how do _you _know that?"

"You look at him like... he saved your life." Jose confessed after staring into his History book, slouching more in his seat. "The way you looked at that silver rose that you received from him... was a very different expression... compared to other things you had received from other guys..."

Imogen shook her head. "I don't like him that way, he's just a friend."

Jose turned his Yankees hat to its proper position as he moved it down, trying to cover his eyes. He kept his eyes on the book, not daring to return his gaze on the brunette. "He's more than a friend to you..." He muttered after licking his lips.

Imogen was speechless as she heard his prediction. Everything that he had predicted is true, and she just couldn't handle the truth. She shook her head away from her thoughts before speaking. "Eli and I are just friends. Besides, he's dating Marisol–"

"–He's dating Clare," Jose interrupted harshly as he locked his eyes on the brunette.

Imogen ran out of words before blinking. She looked at the rose sitting on the desk before returning her gaze on Jose. "...then... why did he give me a silver rose?"

"First off, Marisol and him were _never _dating. She's just desperate to be his girlfriend. Second, Clare asked him out at his locker and I was there, he didn't want to break her heart, so he said yes." Jose replied in a harsh tone. Imogen was wondering why he was having an attitude with her, she didn't do anything wrong.

"But... why did he give me a silver rose since... he's dating Clare...?"

"That... I don't know," Jose muttered quietly before returning his gaze back on the book.

Class began to start and Imogen opened her History book as well. She stared at the pages of her book, speechless as ever. Eli has been giving her mixed signals this whole time... and this is how he repays her? She didn't know what to do...

Jose was having an attitude with her and she didn't know why either. She closed her eyes shut, trying to calm down and clear her mind. Her heart started racing in full speed, scaring her on the inside. She breathed heavily, as if she ran a mile. Tears started to fill in her eyes... what was this? Why must she cry over a jerk face like Eli? Not only her eyes began watering because of him, it was also because of the way Jose was treating her. He seemed so upset with her... what did she do? She obviously didn't know the answers.

"Ms. Moreno, are you okay?" A voice asked with concern.

Imogen's eyes snapped open as she turned her head to her right, discovering her History teacher. As she saw him, she quickly wiped her tears away before returning her eyes on her book. "I'm fine..."

"Would you like to step out of class for a while?"

"No... I'm okay Mr. Hernandez, thank you..." Imogen responded, sniffing emotionally.

"Okay... if you're still feeling emotional, you can always step out to breathe." Mr. Hernandez declared after patting Imogen's shoulder before walking to the front of the class.

Imogen gulped nervously as she stared at the pages of her History book.

xxx

As Imogen walked down the hall – all eyes on her once again – she discovered Eli and Clare near her locker. Clare was busy twirling her blonde curls flirtatiously in front of Eli as a small smirk formed on his face. Imogen's heart sank as she saw this. Why did the two have to be in front of her locker though?

Imogen sighed before walking over to her locker. She kept her eyes only on her locker, not daring to let them wander off to Eli and Clare's sight. Eli's eyes tore away from Clare as he saw Imogen reach her locker before placing her History book inside, trying to fight back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes again.

"Hey, _Imo._" Eli called, smiling at the brunette.

Imogen gulped as looked into her locker for a few seconds before taking a step back as she locked her eyes on Eli. "Hi..." She muttered lowly, more in a sad tone.

"Did you like the silver rose I got for you?" He questioned as he smiled at the brunette.

Imogen nodded slightly as she showed him the rose before looking down at the flower. "Thank you..." She muttered lowly, still fighting back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.

Clare noticed something was wrong with Imogen, but she couldn't make out exactly what could have been wrong. "Are you okay?"

Imogen tore her eyes from the floor as she locked them on Clare, smiling sheepishly. "Yes, of course." Imogen lied before nodding as she returned her gaze to her locker.

Clare is a very sweet, energetic girl... of course Imogen would understand why Eli would go out with a girl like Clare. Clare is a beautiful girl, and a sweetheart. There was nothing bad about her personality at all. She is a good girl compared to the other girls in the school.

"Alright..." Clare replied as she returned her gaze on Eli. "I can still come over later?"

Eli nodded in response.

Clare smiled before leaning in to give Eli a kiss. Eli hesitated before moving his face as her lips landed on his cheek. Clare pulled away with confusion, wondering why he moved away... at least she got to give him a kiss in the cheek, and that's all that matters.

_RING! _Clare's eyes lit up as she smiled sheepishly.

"See you later," She said before walking out of the front entrance of the school.

Imogen slammed her locker shut before speed walking past Eli. She crossed her arms over her chest as tears started to stream down her eyes. Eli narrowed his eyes together as he followed the brunette, trying to catch up to her.

Imogen walked out of the front entrance as Eli followed behind her. She walked down the stairway as more tears started to stream down her face. Eli finally caught up to her, stopping her from getting away any further. He stared down at the brunette in front of his eyes, noticing tears streaming down her face. "Imogen..." He breathed.

Imogen threw the silver rose at him, glaring at him powerfully with tear-filled eyes. "Just leave me the hell alone!" She screamed harshly before trying to walk past him again. Eli stopped her once again before staring into her chocolate brown eyes. "Can you please explain to me what exactly is bothering you?"

"You!" She screamed, more tears streaming down her face. She didn't want to cry in front of him at all; she didn't even want him to see her cry...

"You gave me mixed signals all night yesterday, Eli. And I also received a silver rose from you?"

"Imo–"

"–You are a heartless jerk! You messed with my feelings and you get yourself a girlfriend right after?" Imogen screamed, her face wet from the tears streaming down from her eyes and down her cheeks.

Lightening streaked through the sky as thunder started booming across the sky. Seconds passed as rain started pouring hard, drenching the bodies and hair of Eli and Imogen. Imogen stared at Eli with hurt in her eyes before running off. Eli scurried over to the brunette before stopped her as he turned her around to face him.

"Imogen, please let me explain–"

"–No! I don't want to hear any of your pity!" Imogen declared as she stared into his eyes intensely.

Thunder boomed harder through the sky, causing it to pour rain powerfully. Imogen's hair gotten all wet and soaked, as well as Eli. Eli sighed as he stared at the brunette. "I'm just... trying to figure _her _out. Clare asked me to be her boyfriend and... I didn't want to break her heart." Eli confessed before breathing.

"...well you broke someones heart anyway," Imogen muttered quietly as she started taking steps back.

Eli stared at her, noticing how hurt she looked. He didn't mean to hurt her... and yet again, he didn't exactly know for sure that she had the same exact feelings as he does for her. Rain continued to pour and pour, harder and harder every minute. Neither of the two intended on escaping from this hazardous event. Eli slowly took a step forward, staring into her chocolate brown eyes through the rain. Imogen stared into his emerald green eyes as well, breathing nervously.

Eli slowly leaned in, exchanging glances from her eyes to her lips. Imogen's eyes went wide, knowing exactly what he was going to do. She noticed him leaning closer, their lips dangerously centimeters apart. Imogen snapped her eyes closed, feeling Eli's warm breath over her lips. His lips finally brushed against hers for only a second as he pulled away quickly. Imogen's heart started racing as she snapped her eyes open, noticing Eli had pulled away.

He smirked at her before handing her the silver rose. "Keep it as a lucky charm... that whether you're in a tough situation or not, you _know _that whatever it takes... you can make it through." He breathed as he walked away, leaving her there.

Imogen just stood there, speechless as ever. The sky started to clear up as the sun started shining above the brunette. She took a glance at the silver rose as a light blush formed on her cheeks. He _almost _kissed her! She didn't know how to react to this because she was so... _speechless. _Eli Goldsworthy... _you're such a damn tease!_

xxx

"He almost kissed you?" Bianca questioned in shock as she sat up on Imogen's bed, staring at the brunette before her.

Imogen nodded as she hugged her Hello Kitty fluff doll. "I don't understand him at all, though. He's dating Clare and then he teases me by trying to kiss me? He sure is a mystery... like a puzzle... a very complicated puzzle to solve."

Bianca smirked before leaning back on the bed as she rested her head on the red Hello Kitty pillow. "But you're head over heels for Dr. Doom."

"I am not!" Imogen declared before hitting Bianca playfully with her Hello Kitty fluff doll.

Bianca rolled her eyes in response as she flipped open her phone, dialing Jose's number. She pressed the phone on speaker as she placed it down on the bed. She closed her eyes shut as she listened to the sound of the phone ringing. Imogen pursed her eyebrows together as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Who are you calling?"

"Jose," Bianca replied as she yawned tiredly.

Jose finally answered the phone after a few seconds passed by. "What do you want Bee?" He questioned her with a bored expression. Imogen looked down, staring at her Hello Kitty fluff doll as she remembered how he practically gotten upset with her for no reason.

"Come to Imogen's house," Bianca suggested after yawning once more.

"I'm busy," Jose remarked harshly, with irritation in his tone.

"Busy doing what? It's a Friday night."

"Shooting hoops," He replied coldly.

"You can always do that tomorrow." Bianca exclaimed, "Besides you always come and never bail."

"I'm bailing now," He exclaimed, "I don't _need _to be there anyway."

"Um, hello? Imogen is _your _best friend and you're not coming to hang out with us?" Bianca questioned him.

Imogen pulled her knees up to her chest as she hugged them tightly.

"I have much better things to do." Jose exclaimed as the phone line soon cut off, leaving Bianca speechless.

She pursed her eyebrows together as she stared at Imogen. "What's going on with you and Jose?"

Imogen shrugged in response. "He's been avoiding me since History class... he gotten mad at me and I have no idea why." Imogen confessed after burying her face into her knees.

"Why is he upset with you?" Bianca wondered in curiosity.

"I have no idea why..." Imogen admitted, sighing from under her breath.

xxx

As Imogen entered her English class, she noticed Marisol having a nice chat with Eli. She rolled her eyes before walking over to her desk behind Marisol as she placed her books down. Eli exchanged glances from Marisol to Imogen as a small smirk formed on his face.

Imogen sat down in her seat before opening her writing notebook as she pulled out a pencil from her Hello Kitty box.

"Hey Imo," Eli spoke up, trying to catch her attention.

Imogen turned her gaze at Eli before smiling slightly. "Hey..."

She remembered how he almost kissed her on Friday. It was so unexpecting to her... was he trying to mess with her feelings? Could be... but he's dating Clare and he tried to kiss _her? _This boy is a mystery...

Marisol turned around in her seat to her normal position, ignoring Eli and Imogen. Eli recently told her that he is taken by Clare, which clearly hurt her. She hated how he treated her at the movies and everything. She hated how she still had feelings for him. He sure is a player in her eyes and very heartless...

"Alright class, today we are writing a poem based on things that teenagers struggle with in life. For example: Love, Bullying, Peer Pressure, anything." Ms. Dawes exclaimed as she stared at the entire class filled with more than twenty eyes on her.

"I'm going to be assigning you into groups of two. The two of you will be working together on this Poem and we will present this during the meeting in the auditorium... which is two weeks from now." Ms. Dawes picked up a piece of paper before examining it as she read over the names.

"Steven and Judy... Katie and Drew... Marnie and Phil... Justin and Daisy... Ronnie and Virginia... Marisol and Mo... and Eli and Imogen." Ms. Dawes exclaimed as she shifted her head up, looking at all the students. "Okay, get into your groups and start working on your assignment."

As everyone rose from their seats, getting into groups of two, Imogen turned her head towards Eli as she noticed him smirking. "Why is there a smirk on your face?" She questioned as she slid her desk across the floor, reaching Eli's side.

Eli shrugged in response as he opened up his writing notebook. "So what should we write about?"

Imogen placed her chin in her palm as she started thinking. "Hmm... I don't know – Love?"

"Out of all topics, you pick Love?" Eli questioned her with a bored expression on his face.

Imogen shot him a glare. "Yes... some people struggle with this problem; you fall in love, but then somehow you get hurt by the person you love." She exclaimed with all honesty.

"That's not always true," Eli admitted.

"How do you know that?" Imogen questioned after raising her eyebrows.

"My parents are in love, and the other two never got hurt." Eli confessed.

"Well my parents have trust issues..." Imogen declared before writing idea's down in her notebook.

Eli stared at the brunette, wondering if that was the reason why she had drawn a flower covered in blood. He sighed as he watched her write down ideas. He was wondering if she remembered the incident on Friday... he sure as hell wanted to kiss her, but since he's dating Clare, he knew he couldn't.

Imogen is so fucking different compared to other girls he had met, and he liked that about her. He wanted her to know about his feelings for her, but he was afraid that she might reject him for _basically _hurting her on Friday. Her feelings towards him were obviously revealed that day and it was driving him crazy. Why did he have to be so caring and say _yes _to Clare? Why couldn't he have the courage to say _no? _Maybe that's because he's a sweet and caring guy and... he doesn't mean to hurt anyone. He does feel bad for treating Marisol like shit the night of the movies, but he sincerely didn't mean to hurt her.

**Author's Note: Awwww... why is Jose avoiding Imogen now? Why did he have to talk to her with an attitude? I bet some of you know why. (; Again, I apologize for the bad grammer. -_- I am using WordPad, Microsoft Word doesn't work on my sister's laptop which fucking sucks... anyways.. Leave me reviews? and follow me on twitter: mzfeistyx3**


	4. Pearls

**Author's Note: I'm Team Eli and Jose cause you know, I love them BOTH! Anyway.. Eli is obviously Thee Edward Cullen in this story, and Jose is obviously Thee Jacob Black in this story as well tehehe. It's a coincidence how Eli and Edward start with E and Jose and Jacob starts with J! hahaha… okay enough of my bullshit, and enjoy chapter 4!**

The school bell rang, _DING! _as everyone in the class started gathering their things together. Imogen closed her notebook shut before putting it away in her book bag. She soon slid the desk back to its normal spot as she stood up on her feet. Eli gathered his things together as well before rising up from his seat. Imogen soon walked out of the classroom as Eli followed along.

"Heading to Ms. Darcy's class?" He questioned as he walked down the hall, side by side with Imogen.

Imogen nodded in response as she finally reached her locker before opening it. She grabbed her sketchbook out from her locker before closing it. She soon strolled down the hall as Eli followed her, walking side by side with her. The two finally reached their Art class as Imogen entered through the door first before walking over to her table as she set her bag down. Bianca and Fitz were already at the table, but Bianca was sitting in Fitz's lap with her arms wrapped around his neck. As Eli made his way to the table as well before setting his bag down, he narrowed his eyes at the couple beside him.

"You know Ms. Darcy is going to be here in any minute and you two are _pressed _against each other." Eli retorted.

Bianca narrowed her eyes at the boy wearing all black. "You _wish _you were pressed against a certain _brunette._" Bianca remarked, obviously referring to Imogen. Imogen's eyes widened as she threw a pencil at her curly haired best friend, blushing. Bianca's jaw dropped as she stared at the brunette. "What the hell?"

"Shut up…!" Imogen hissed lowly.

Bianca rolled her eyes as she climbed off of Fitz before sitting in the empty seat beside Imogen. Eli smirked as a small blush formed on his face. What Bianca was referring to is basically an example of sexual frustration.

Ms. Darcy entered the classroom as she closed the door behind her. "Alright class, today we're going to paint a portrait of a human's body." She exclaimed before gesturing to the middle of the class, hearing small giggles from some of the students.

"We're going to paint a portrait of a person _naked?_" Fitz questioned as he pointed out the word _naked._

Ms. Darcy nodded in response. "Yes, Mr. Fitzgerald, we're painting a portrait of a human body figure. In early History, there were many people in this world that didn't have any clothes at all. It used to be full of naked people around this world."

"So… we're painting a portrait of someone naked…?"

Ms. Darcy nodded her head once more in response. "The model of the person you guys will be painting is Michelle Maylene. She is a French model of the Play Boy company." She exclaimed as all the students in the class began laughing hysterically.

"We're painting a portrait of a porn star?" The boy with light brown hair asked, by the name of Justin.

Ms. Darcy nodded. "I know this sounds very inappropriate, but we're just painting a portrait of a human's figure, it really isn't a big deal." She exclaimed before pointing at all the paint scattered around each table.

Fitz snickered from underneath his breath. A girl entered the room as all the students locked their eyes on her. She was wearing a robe, which is obvious she is covering her whole naked body. She waved at the students before smiling.

"This is Michelle Maylene; she will be modeling while you guys paint her portrait." Ms. Darcy exclaimed as she introduced the French model.

The girl – by the name of Michelle – slowly pulled off her robe, revealing her naked body to the entire class. All the males stared at her body in awe, admiring her figure. Drew gasped from under his breath as he blushed a deep red.

"Holy fuck…" Fitz muttered as he examined Michelle's body. Bianca noticed Fitz staring at Michelle's naked figure as she kicked his feet with her foot from underneath the table. Fitz came back to reality as he locked his eyes on his curly haired girlfriend.

"W-what? I wasn't staring…" Fitz scoffed after scratching his head innocently.

Bianca stared at him with a bored expression on her face. "Yeah, mhmm, sure,"

Imogen narrowed her eyes at Eli, expecting him to be drooling over Michelle's naked figure, but he wasn't. He was busy staring at his hands… he was either staring at his hands because he wanted to or… he just didn't want to stare at Michelle's naked figure, drooling over it.

"Okay, class. Get to painting," Ms. Darcy demanded as she walked out of the room, letting Michelle take over as a Substitute and Model at the same time.

Everyone began pulling their 12-inch sketchbooks, while Imogen pulled one of the paint trays over to her. Eli smirked as he grabbed a hold of the same tray before placing it in the middle of him and Imogen. Imogen pursed her eyebrows together as she stared at the boy in all black.

"I put it there so we _both _can reach Imo," Eli declared before grabbing a cup full of clean water as he set it next to him and Imogen as well.

"My name is Imogen." Imogen stated in response.

Eli smirked as he grabbed two paint brushes as he handed it to Imogen before placing his paint brush and napkin down. "Whatever you say, _Imo,_" He snickered as he replied to her comment about her name.

Imogen rolled her eyes as she grabbed a pencil out from her Hello Kitty box. "I find it very disturbing how we're painting a portrait of a _porn star._"

"I think you can make a better model," Eli scoffed lowly as he tried to play it off that he didn't say anything.

"You little perv!" Imogen hissed before kicking his leg with her foot from underneath the table.

Eli smirked as he started sketching out Michelle's body. "I'm serious though… I think it'd be _more _interesting if _you _were the model." Eli replied smoothly as he now met his eyes with the brunette.

Imogen stared into his emerald green eyes, gulping nervously as she looked down at her blank sheet of sketching paper. "…you are such a–"

"–perv?" He smirked before continuing to converse with her. "Besides, you're not afraid to expose your body in front of anyone, are you?"

Imogen returned her gaze on Eli before blinking nervously. "N-no…"

Eli narrowed his eyes together as he stared at the brunette, studying her face. "How come I don't believe that?"

Imogen looked down at her hands, trembling anxiously. "…I-I'm not afraid."

"Yes you are," Eli declared, denying her comment. "You're a virgin… am I right?"

Imogen gulped as she closed her eyes shut, trying her best not to cry. Eli noticed this as he cleared his throat, waiting for her to answer his question.

"How is that any of _your _business?" Imogen questioned harshly as she returned her gaze on Eli, glaring at him intensely.

"I don't know… it's obvious that you are one," Eli stated before continuing to sketch out Michelle's body.

"I may be a virgin, but that doesn't mean that I'm afraid to expose my body in front of any–"

"–not even me?" Eli questioned as he interrupted her words.

Imogen's mouth dropped a bit as she stared at him in shock. "…can I remind you that you have a girlfriend?"

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind a girl like _you _stripping in front of me." He muttered as he continued to sketch out Michelle's body.

Imogen pursed her eyebrows together. "You are really immature for your age."

Eli returned his gaze on Imogen, staring at her with a cold look. "I may have a girlfriend, but that doesn't mean I'm not attracted to _you._"

Imogen narrowed her eyes at him, cocking her head slightly to the side. "Y-you like me?"

"Maybe," Eli scoffed before smirking.

After another hour passed, the bell rang as everyone started gathering their things together. Imogen gathered her things together as well as Eli before walking down the hall – all eyes on her once again – finally reaching her locker. Eli was beside her again, waiting for her to grab whatever she needed out of her locker. As Imogen opened her locker, she placed all of her art supplies inside of her locker before pulling out her apron as she closed her locker shut. She walked past Eli as she strolled down the hall with him following along.

"Are you not talking to me now?" Eli questioned as he walked side by side with her.

"No," Imogen replied as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Eli smirked as the two finally reached their cooking class. Imogen entered inside of the class first as Eli entered as well. He walked past her as he walked over to his desk beside Jose, sitting in the empty seat beside him. Imogen gulped nervously as she narrowed her eyes at Jose, watching him put on his apron. His facial expression looked so unhappy… was he still mad at her?

Imogen sighed as she walked over to the empty desk beside Jose. She sat down as she narrowed her eyes at Jose. "Hi, Jose," She muttered lightly, trying to receive his attention.

He slouched down in his seat, ignoring her completely.

'_He's still mad at me then…' _She thought before putting on her silver-gray apron.

"Good morning class, today we will be learning how to make seafood," Ms. Rose exclaimed as she pointed to the tank beside her that was covered with a blanket.

Jose narrowed his eyes at the large tank that was covered with a blanket. "Uh… Ms. Rose, what's underneath that blanket?"

Ms. Rose locked her eyes on Jose before responding to his question. "Lobsters!" She beamed before pulling off the blanket from the tank. The tank was filled with a ton of lobsters that were s_till _alive. Everyone in the entire classroom gasped in shock.

"You are not making us cook _that _while they are alive, right Ms. Rose?" Jose questioned with wide eyes as he stared at the large tank. Ms. Rose shook her head. "Yes we are Mr. DeSousa."

Eli pursed his eyebrows together before muttering from underneath his breath. "What if those things stab us or some shit…"

Jose groaned as he placed his hands on the insides of his pockets. "You must be crazy Ms. Rose, we can cook other things instead. Out of all things you can come up with, you make us cook sea animals that are alive? Those lobsters are huge!" Jose screeched as he groaned once more.

"Can you stop making a scene Mr. DeSousa?" Ms. Rose muttered in annoyance before crossing her arms over her chest.

Jose made an annoyed expression. "I am not touching those damn _things _that are inside that damn _tank._" He declared with frustration.

Ms. Rose rolled her eyes. "Would you like to receive another detention then?"

Silence.

"Okay, then you will follow the rules Mr. DeSousa," She retorted before continuing on with her lesson. "As I was saying, the empty pots that are on your desks, I want you guys to take a look inside of them."

Everyone nodded before doing as she said so as every student stared at the sea animal inside of the pot.

Imogen stared at the sea creature with wide eyes. "I-is that a crab?" She spoke loudly as Ms. Rose nodded in response.

"The first thing we are going to do is cook the crab that is inside of the pots." Ms. Rose declared, "I want you guys to set the stove on to number eight. That way, it'll cook much faster."

"I'd rather do a striptease then do this shit." Jose muttered in annoyance as he set his stove on to number eight.

Eli smirked as he set his stove on to number eight as well. "I wouldn't be surprised is this _thing _inside that pot will come flying out of it soon."

Imogen narrowed her eyes at the two before smiling. "This is Cooking class. You both are going to have to deal with whatever Ms. Rose teaches us."

Jose glared at the brunette beside him, staring at her with a cold look. Imogen noticed this as she looked away, trying to avoid eye contact with him. She hugged her arms as a light frown formed upon her lips. _'Why does he have to stare at me like…I betrayed him…' _She thought in her head as she tried her hardest to fight back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. Eli narrowed his eyes at the brunette before returning his gaze on Jose, noticing something wrong. "Uhm…like to tell me what's going on with you both?" He questioned quietly for Jose to hear.

Jose shrugged in response. Eli pursed his eyebrows together as he waited for his stove to get warm.

Imogen slowly turned her stove on to number eight before returning her gaze on Jose. He was busy looking through the ingredients list, avoiding Imogen.

"Jose…" Imogen breathed lightly as she tried to get a response from him.

"What?" He asked her with an annoyed tone.

Imogen's frown deepened. "Why are you treating me like…I've betrayed you?"

"I don't know," Jose spoke up, "But I guess you're too stupid to realize why exactly you're being treated this way." He declared harshly as he returned his gaze on the pot.

"I honestly have no idea of what I've done to you," Imogen hissed as she removed her apron. "But if you're going to keep treating me this way, I guess we shouldn't be friends."

The bell soon rang as everyone started gathering their things. Imogen gathered all of her things together as she finally reached her locker. Why did Jose have to be so mean to her? She didn't know…but it is _his _fault they are no longer friends. Imogen placed all of her books inside of her locker as she let out a soft sigh.

xxx

Jose opened his locker as he placed his books inside. A picture of him and Imogen when they were little caught his eyes. He smiled softly as he examined the picture. The two have always been really good friends since they were little, but now it's _different. _He had started developing feelings for Imogen in the 8th grade, but he had never had the chance to actually confess his feelings to her. Ever since Eli came along, he felt like he lost his chance. He noticed Imogen developing feelings for Eli and he already knew that he wouldn't have had a chance with her…

Who wouldn't like a sweet girl like Imogen? It was obvious that Eli has the same exact feelings for her. This is the reason why he's been acting so…moody towards Imogen. If he cares about her so much, he would be happy if she's happy.

Jose sighed as he closed his locker, turning his head to his right as he noticed Eli and Clare making out. He pursed his eyebrows together as he strolled down the hall to the two. "Ahem," He scoffed, trying to catch their attention.

The two slowly pulled away from each other awkwardly as Clare blushed lightly. Eli narrowed his eyes at Jose with a bored expression across his face.

"Can you two stop sucking each other's faces in the hallway? God damn, there are niners here." Jose exclaimed with annoyance.

"Funny Jose," Clare beamed with sarcasm as she laughed lightly before returning his gaze on Eli. "I'll catch you later,"

Eli nodded in response as Clare happily skipped away. He returned his gaze on Jose, noticing a bored expression across his face. "What?"

"I don't get you Emo dude. You lock lips with blondie over here when you like Imogen." Jose confessed in annoyance.

Eli narrowed his eyes at him. "Who said I like Imogen?"

"Don't play dumb," Jose confessed with a bored expression. "It is obvious that you like her, you gave her a silver rose _and _you're always looking at her."

"And how is that any of _your _business?" Eli questioned him.

Jose looked at him with a bored expression. "I'm not stupid, bro." He rolled his eyes before continuing to speak. "If you really want Imogen, break up with blondie."

Eli licked his lips as he stared at Jose. "I hurt her…and I don't think I have a shot."

Jose sighed from underneath his breath as he patted his dark haired friend's shoulder. "You probably do. She likes you too, it's obvious." He stated before returning his arm back to his side.

Eli smirked slightly as he leaned his back against the lockers. "I'll think about it,"

Jose smiled as he patted Eli's arm before walking away. The bell rang as students started surrounding the hall. Jose entered his History class as he saw Imogen already sitting in her desk. He sighed as he reached his desk before sitting down.

Imogen looked so sad and he knew he was the reason why she looked sad. Jose still truly cares about her and since Imogen really likes Eli, he wanted her to be happy…but he still felt heartbroken because he _wishes _she would be interested in _him _instead of Eli.

xxx

Imogen sighed dramatically as she stared at Eli's house, examining it. She sure as hell was nervous and she didn't know if she should stay or leave. She only came to work on Ms. Dawes assignment, nothing else. She breathed calmly as she gestured over to the steps before knocking on the front door. A few seconds passed by as the door finally opened, revealing Eli. Eli narrowed his eyes at the brunette in confusion. "Imogen?"

"Don't freak out, I only came to work on the assignment Ms. Dawes gave us," Imogen declared calmly with an innocent smile plastered upon her face.

Eli raised his eyebrows. "We can always work on that during class."

Imogen rolled her eyes as she hugged her notebook. "I want to get it done quickly, Goldsworthy. I happen to have all A's in all of my classes, and I cannot afford getting an F."

"You already have an F in History." Eli scoffed truthfully.

Imogen pursed her eyebrows together as she stared at the dark haired boy. "How the hell do you know that?"

"I checked Mr. Hernandez's gradebook and your name happened to be on there."

"Who told you to look at my grades?" Imogen hissed as she glared at him.

"It's not my fault that a bunch of F's made me curious to find out who received them." Eli shrugged as he stepped aside for Imogen to enter his house. Imogen groaned as she stepped inside the house before turning her head to him.

"And what grade do you have in his class?"

Eli closed the door behind her as he narrowed his eyes at the brunette. "The highest,"

Imogen scoffed as she pushed him playfully. "That's impossible to believe,"

"I have a 102.96 in that class."

Imogen's jaw dropped. "There is no way in hell anyone can receive that average."

"Well it looks like I did." Eli smirked as he sat down in the couch. Imogen rolled her eyes as she sat next to him before opening her notebook.

"You're really smart in that class then…"

"I have all A's in all my classes, over 100 percent average." Eli confessed.

"Wow…you're really smart in all your classes then." Imogen muttered in shock.

Eli slouched in the couch as he eyed her. "If you really want to improve your grade in History, I can tutor you."

Imogen narrowed her eyes at him as she raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah…unless you don't want to."

Imogen smiled softly. "I guess I could squeeze you in."

Eli chuckled as he smiled slightly in response. Imogen opened her notebook as she started tapping her pen against the paper. "So our topic on this poem is _Love._" Imogen placed her pen down as she started thinking hard. "A person can fall in love unexpectedly, but it takes time. Some people fall in love with a childhood friend or someone they have met later in their life." Imogen exclaimed as she turned her head to Eli.

"So it's a possibility that _you _will fall in love with _me?_" Eli questioned her, narrowing his eyes at the brunette.

Imogen turned her head to the dark haired boy. "If you put it that way, it's a possibility. But it's a most likely chance that I won't fall in love with _you._" Imogen confessed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Eli smirked as he looked down at her notebook, thinking of ideas. "We can always describe love with other words…_or _we can create a _couple _in our poem."

Imogen pursed her eyebrows together in confusion. "You're confusing me."

"Okay, you know how you're the girl who…always wears silver jewelry?"

"Yeah?"

"Silver can be a substitute for your name…it just needs another type of metal to go along with it." Eli exclaimed.

Imogen looked at him with a bored expression across her face. "You're still confusing me, Goldsworthy."

Eli sighed. "Gold is another metal…"

Imogen raised her eyebrows. "Are you trying to say that Silver and Gold created White Gold? Cause…a girl who falls in love with a guy…creates love."

"My point exactly," Eli stated as he stared at the brunette.

Imogen sighed as she closed her eyes, thinking hard. "Fine…we'll create a poem about a couple." She snapped her eyes open as she started writing down ideas in her notebook.

"Silver and Gold should be the title." Eli suggested.

Imogen narrowed her eyes at him, shaking her head. "No, I am not naming a love poem Silver and Gold." Imogen declared.

Eli groaned as he grabbed the notebook from her as he started writing idea's down. Imogen narrowed her eyes on the paper as she read them outloud. "Eye contact, feelings, trustworthiness, sex–what the hell Eli?"

"You said you wanted to write a poem about love, so I'm helping you out."

"And you chose _sex_ as one of your ideas?"

"It's not like we're in middle school, Imo, sex is part of love." Eli exclaimed as he continued writing ideas down.

"There _is _other ways to express love…"

Eli placed the pen down against the notebook before returning his gaze on her. "And what is that?"

Imogen narrowed her eyes at him, sighing. "Just by…showing it, proving that you love that person." She exclaimed as she stared at him.

Eli smirked as he closed the notebook before placing it down on the coffee stand. Imogen looked at his actions in confusion. Eli returned his gaze on her as he slowly moved closer to her on the couch before hovering over her. Imogen's eyes widened as she looked up at him, gulping nervously from underneath her breath. What the hell was he doing?

Their lips were dangerously close, begging to be pressed against each other's. Eli slowly brushed his lips against hers, aching for her. Imogen felt his breath over her lips, wanting him to hurry up and kiss her already. He slowly pulled away as he got off of her, smirking slightly as he sat next to her. Imogen slowly sat up on the couch, scratching her arm awkwardly. He teased her once again which clearly made her upset. She grabbed her notebook in her hands as she rose up from the couch. She narrowed her eyes at Eli before heading out the door. Eli raised his eyebrows as he rose from his seat before walking over to her. Imogen grabbed a hold of the doorknob and opened it.

"Imogen…" Eli breathed as Imogen returned her gaze on him.

"I'm…tired so…I'll see you tomorrow." She replied awkwardly as she soon walked out of the house. Eli sighed hopelessly before closing the door behind her. _'What's wrong with her?' _He thought. Was Imogen upset with him for messing with her feelings once more? Possibly…but it's not like he doesn't have the same feelings for her.

xxx

The next day was the usual…and Eli was determined to break up with Clare and get it over with. He scanned around the halls and discovered her at her locker. He sighed heavily before walking over to the blonde haired girl. She narrowed her eyes at the dark brown haired boy as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Eli groaned uncomfortably as he looked into her sapphire blue eyes. "We need to talk,"

Clare raised her eyebrows, taking this as a bad sign before dropping her arms back to her sides. "…what about?"

"Us," Eli simply replied.

Clare gulped nervously as she closed her locker. "…what about _us_…?"

"I barely know you, Clare." Eli stated as he brushed his fingers against her cheek. "You asked me out and…I barely learned anything about you. You're just an ordinary girl."

Clare blinked multiple times as she stared into his eyes intensely. "I'm just…an ordinary girl…? I'm taking this as an excuse of you saying that I'm a…_nobody _to you."

"Clare–"

"–Save it, I already understand. Your feelings belong to Imogen and…I guess I was too foolish to think that a guy like you…would ever have feelings for a girl like me." Clare exclaimed sadly as she pushed him aggressively through the chest before walking away. Eli sighed as he gazed around the halls. Many girls were staring at him, gossiping to each other about how _attractive _he is. Some others were planning on being his brand new girlfriend and taking Imogen out of the spotlight.

Low claps lured Eli's ears as he narrowed his eyes at the person who was clapping…which was obviously Jose.

"Bravo. Bra-MotherFucking-Vo!" Jose snickered as he smiled at his dark brown haired friend. "You finally broke up with her."

"Yeah but…I kind of feel guilty now…" Eli stated after scratching his neck a bit.

Jose rolled his eyes. "She'll get over it. Besides, it's time to chase after the girl you desperately want."

Eli smirked as he started walking side by side with Jose. "We'll bring that topic up later–anyway, why are you not talking to Imogen?"

"It's…friendship problems, that's all." Jose breathed.

"What kind of friendship problems?" Eli questioned as he narrowed his eyes at Jose.

"Just…we're not the same anymore…our friendship has come to an end." Jose declared before shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"What happened?"

"Trust issues…"

Eli stopped in his tracks as he remembered the conversation he had with Imogen.

"_, you fall in love but then somehow you get hurt by the person you love."_

"_How do you know that?"_

"_My parents are in love, and the two never got hurt."_

"_Well my parents have trust issues…"_

Trust issues…

Jose stopped in his tracks as well as he narrowed his eyes on Eli. "You okay, bro?"

Eli snapped out of his thoughts as he returned his gaze on Jose. "Yeah,"

"Are you sure?" Jose questioned once more.

Eli nodded as he started to walk again as Jose followed along, walking side by side with him. "How did you guys lose trust in each other?"

Jose raised his eyebrows before responding to Eli's question. "Well, I couldn't say that we lost trust in each other, but we do have trust issues so…I guess our friendship has come to an end.""

"There is always a way to fix it you know…" Eli stated as he cleared his throat.

Jose shook his head in response. "Like that is ever going to happen,"

"If you guys could at least give it a chance, it could. If you truly care about her, wouldn't you want to fix this problem? If I were you, I sure would."

**Author's Note: I'm pretty sure that this is the longest chapter I have ever written for this story? Anyways, I had fun writing this chapter because of the classes you know… oh and Michelle Maylene is really a porn star to be honest. I didn't feel like using a fake one, so I used a real one, I hope that isn't creepy? Anyway, and no she is not a French, I made that part up. Lolololol. O.O Follow me on twitter: mzfeistyx3**


	5. Ruby

**Author's Note: I apologize for updating so late. My NETGEAR was not working and it kept getting in the way. I hope you guys understand. :P Anyways, here's chapter 5. Enjoy.**

The day was already halfway over and Eli was exhausted. First period was pretty depressing since Imogen barely said a word to him. Second period was pretty awkward since the entire class _still _had to paint a portrait of Michelle Maylene's body. Imogen didn't even talk to him at all during the whole period. He didn't even know why exactly she was avoiding him in the first place. Was it because he almost kissed her again? Obviously,

Jose sighed as he entered Ms. Rose's class. He noticed Imogen standing from her desk, watching her cut the freshly cooked crab in half with a sharp knife. He walked over to his desk as he placed his bag down.

Imogen minded her own business as she continued cutting the freshly cooked crab into small pieces before adding seasoning to it. Jose grabbed his apron as he put it on, opening his pot as he saw the freshly cooked crab sitting inside of it. The aroma filled his nostrils as a small smile came across his face. "It smells so fucking good," He muttered lowly as he picked up the crab before setting it down on the plate. He grabbed a hold of the knife as he started cutting it into small pieces.

Eli smirked slightly as he put on his apron before opening the pot, revealing the freshly cooked crab. The aroma filled his nostrils as well before nodding in agreement. "It does smell fucking good."

"No shit," Jose responded as he continued cutting the freshly cooked crab.

Imogen placed her knife down as she examined the cut pieces of the crab. _'Perfect,' _she thought. Her eyes narrowed at the dark brown haired boy dressed in all black, noticing his eyes on her. She rolled her eyes with frustration before returning her gaze on the crab.

Throughout the entire time in cooking class, the students were busy cutting the freshly cooked crab while others began cooking the lobsters. Jose continued to complain about the lobster pinching him every five seconds. Eli continued to return his gaze on Imogen every fifteen minutes. And Imogen began cooking the lobster without any problem.

xxx

Her eyes landed on the inside of her History book, never tearing them away from it. She was still upset with the dark brown haired boy who teased her upon his house. She would forgive him, but she never intended on doing it so soon. She wanted to teach him a lesson, to give him a taste of his own medicine. She wanted him right where she wanted him to be. Eli Goldsworthy...you are going to _wish _you never met Imogen Star Moreno.

"Maybe you should stop staring too hard," a voice declared which lured Imogen's ears. Her eyes soon tore away from her History book to a familiar pair of chocolate brown eyes.

Jose smiled slightly at the brunette, closing her History book.

Imogen blinked in confusion. "Jose DeSousa is talking to me now?"

Jose sighed as he scratched his head slightly. "I can't stay mad at you forever, Immy."

"What made you change your mind?" Imogen questioned him with an attitude before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Being upset with you over something very stupid made me realize...do I want to risk losing an amazing friendship?" He questioned with meaning.

Imogen stared into his eyes, having no idea of what to say next. "...you stopped talking to me all of a sudden and I have been driving myself crazy, trying to figure out what the hell I have done to you. Would you tell me? What have I done to make you treat me like the way you did?"

Jose stared into her eyes, discovering hurt upon them. He knew the reason was because of his jealously, which was his own stupidity. He couldn't tell her the truth, he just couldn't. He knew exactly how she would react and he didn't want to fight with her anymore. "It...It was a stupid reason and I shouldn't have been upset, but can you just give me one more chance?"

"How would I know you wouldn't get upset with me again?" Imogen questioned, demanding an answer from him.

"You just have to trust me on this." Jose breathed, hoping for Imogen to take it as it is.

Imogen looked down at her hands sadly, hoping he is really meaning it. She sighed underneath her breath as a small smile formed on her face. "Okay," She breathed, returning her gaze on her best guy friend.

Jose smiled slightly as he nodded in understanding. Being upset about her having feelings for Eli was pretty stupid, but now that it's over with, he doesn't have to risk losing that friendship with Imogen.

"So why are you avoiding Emo dude?"

Imogen shrugged in response as she remembered what happened the previous day. "If he wasn't such a huge flirt, I wouldn't be avoiding him."

Jose pursed his eyebrows together in confusion. "What did he do?"

"He has a girlfriend and we both know that –"

"–he broke up with blondie earlier today..." Jose interrupted, correcting her words.

Imogen's mouth gaped open as she heard this. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, he dumped her before school even started." Jose nodded.

"Well uhm...yesterday...when he _was _dating Clare, I went to his house to go work on this English assignment for Ms. Dawes and he tried to kiss me again."

Jose raised his eyebrows, catching the last word. "Again?"

"That day when you stopped talking to me was the day he first tried to kiss me, _but _he pulled away and he did it again yesterday."

"So he teased you twice?"

"Exactly...I just don't appreciate him messing with my feelings..." She sighed slightly as she stared at her pencil.

"Emo dude wants _you, _Immy." Jose declared.

Imogen smiled slightly. "I do like him..."

"Then give him a chance," Jose suggested as a smile formed upon his face.

"Didn't you just say he broke up with Clare earlier?" Imogen questioned, raising her eyebrows.

"He was never interested in her, he wants you Imogen." He said.

Imogen smirked at this as she placed her palm against her chin before shrugging. "Well I play hard to get."

xxx

The hallways cleared out as everyone left outside to get on the bus. Imogen was sitting down on the front steps of the school, watching as every bus started leaving to take people home. She slowly got up from the steps before walking down them. The wind blew through her long wavy brown hair as she started walking down the sidewalk.

A smile was on her face as she walked down them. She was happy because of Jose; they are both back on the right terms once again...she was _also_ determined to find Eli.

xxx

The sun came down as the moonlight surrounded the streets of Canada. Imogen looked up at the sky, discovering the full moon from above. It was shining beautifully above the brunette. She smiled slightly as she shoved her hands on the inside of the pockets of her sweater.

She saw an alley just close by; making her wonder if anyone was there. As she finally reached the alley, these random arms wrapped around her waist, preventing her from escaping. She let out a small scream but was quickly silenced by a hand covering her mouth. She was pulled into the nearby alley before getting free of the person's aggressive grasp.

"Shhhh!" The person hissed. Imogen locked her eyes on the person hissing at her before noticing that familiar pair of emerald green eyes.

"Eli? What the hell!" She hissed quietly as she glared at the boy dressed in all black.

Eli took a step closer to her, silencing her with just his index finger against her lips. Imogen gulped nervously as her eyes stood on his. He slowly pulled his index finger away from her lips before conversing with her.

"I've been thinking _ a lot _about something lately."

Imogen raised her eyebrows before crossing her arms over her chest. "A lot about what?"

"Something..." He breathed before taking one more step closer to her.

Their bodies were dangerously close, causing an adrenaline rush go up Imogen's spine. "What is that something?" She asked lowly as she stared into his emerald green eyes.

A small smirk formed across his face. "Oh, I don't know," He leaned in and captured her lips with his, kissing her passionately. Imogen gasped lightly into the kiss before returning it. Their lips moved together wonderfully, electricity forming between the kiss. Imogen lightly placed her palms against his shoulders as they continued to kiss. Tension was seeking its way through the intense kiss before Eli departed from the kiss.

Imogen slowly returned her arms back to her sides as she looked up at the dark brown haired boy. "...don't you have a girlfriend?"

"I broke up with her," He replied before taking her hand with his. "And now I'm asking _you _to be my girlfriend."

Imogen pursed her eyebrows together as she pulled her hand away from his grasp. "So you really think that just because you've _kissed _me that my answer will be a _yes?_"

Eli smirked slightly. "Are you trying to play hard to get?"

Imogen crossed her arms over her chest as she raised an eyebrow. "I'm just keeping my heads up, considering _you _broke up with Clare and _now _you're trying to get together with me."

"She'll get over it," He replied with a shrug.

"Clare Edwards is a very sensitive girl I've known around Degrassi, she won't get over it." Imogen confessed.

Eli rolled his eyes before crashing his lips onto hers once more. Imogen pulled away as she glared at the dark brown haired boy in front of her.

"For one day, can you stop being a flirt?"

"That's a complicated question." Eli remarked before grabbing a hold of Imogen's hand once more.

Imogen rolled her eyes as a small smile formed upon her face. "I have to go home, Goldsworthy."

"I'll take you home," He suggested.

"And how are you supposed to do that?" She questioned.

A smirk came across his face as he shoved his free hand in the inside of his pockets, grabbing the keys to his hearse. He soon pulled his hand out of his pocket before showing the keys to the brunette.

"Oh, so you have a car?" She asked him, shockingly impressed.

"A hearse,"

"Same thing," She replied after rolling her eyes before pulling her hand away from his grasp.

She walked past him before walking out of the alley. Eli smirked as he sped-walked over to the brunette, grabbing a hold of her. Imogen let out a small scream as she felt his arms wrap around her from behind.

"Can you please let go of me?" She begged playfully as she struggled to get out of his grip.

He shook his head in response as he buried his face in her neck. "You're warm,"

Imogen giggled lightly as she felt his hot breath on her skin. She never felt this close to the dark and mysterious boy. He felt so warm and his scent just filled her nostrils. The cologne he was wearing smelled very good.

"You smell good…"

He smirked against her neck before kissing it softly.

Imogen smiled lightly as she took a step forward, pulling away from him. "I really need to get home." She declared as she returned her gaze on him.

"It's a Friday night," He stated.

"Yeah…and my dad is going to be worried if I'm not home by ten."

"Fine, I'll take you home." Eli replied as he walked over to his hearse.

Imogen followed him as her pace soon slowed down as she saw the view of his hearse. His hearse was shining from the moonlight above. _'__wow…' _she thought.

Eli noticed her expression as a smirk came across his face. "This is Morty." He said before opening the door for Imogen. "I hope you like him."

She rolled her eyes at him as she entered the hearse. Eli smiled, closing the door for her. He walked around the hearse, entering it as well.

"I live in–"

"–I know where you live," Eli interrupted as he put the keys into the ignition.

Imogen raised her eyebrows as she narrowed her eyes at the boy dressed in all black. "That's not creepy at all…"

Eli laughed slightly as he started driving the hearse in a steady pace. "Relax Moreno; I'm not some creepy stalker if that's what you think I am."

Imogen smiled before crossing her arms over her chest. "But you are this _very _mysterious _bad _boy. Like to tell me why you're so into darkness?"

"It's my style," He replied with a shrug, keeping his eyes on the road.

"That's a very interesting style you got there, Mr. Goldsworthy." She purred seductively as a small smirk formed across her face.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" He questioned while raising his eyebrows before exchanging glances from her to the road.

She shrugged in response as she stared at the dark brown haired boy seductively. "I like how _different _you are compared to these other losers; you're exactly what _I _like."

Eli slowly turned his gaze at the brunette, gulping anxiously from underneath his breath. "Yeah, you really need to get home."

"What's the matter Eli Goldsworthy? Since when are you uncomfortable around me?" Imogen purred once more as a small giggle escaped her lips.

"Are you okay, Imo?"

Imogen shook her head in response. "I'm perfectly fine Eli, thank you!" She replied with sarcasm as she now stared out the window.

Eli grunted in response as the rest of the ride stayed silent. As minutes passed, he finally reached her house.

Imogen narrowed her eyes out the window, towards her house. She slowly made her way out of the hearse, but was soon stopped by Eli's hand on her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes at the dark brown haired boy after raising her eyebrows. "Is there a problem Mr. Goldsworthy?"

"You still haven't answered my question," He declared after breathing evenly.

"What question?" She questioned in confusion.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He questioned, hoping her answer will be a positive answer.

Imogen smiled lightly as she slowly leaned in and planted a gentle kiss upon his lips. Eli returned the kiss before noticing her departure. She smiled instantly at the boy after making her way out of the hearse. He watched as she approached the front door of her house, now entering it. She didn't quite answer him with a _yes _or a _no, _but that kiss was obviously a positive answer. Eli smiled to himself as he began to drive home. This boy was relieved that he didn't have to go through anymore drama with the brunette. He finally got the girl he wanted, but the only problem was…that he was afraid of losing her.

xxx

The room was filled with sexual tension. The two moved their lips with each other dangerously, hungrily, causing an aching feeling go up the brunette's spine as she made out with the boy she desperately desired. She was hovering over him, fully clothed, but aching for her clothes to be torn off by his bare hands. They were in his dark room, full of nothing but darkness. There were no disturbances between the two until Eli finally departed from the kiss, gasping for air. Imogen stared down at the dark boy before moving off of him. She blushed anxiously. "Maybe we should get to studying now," She suggested after pulling a strand of hair behind her ear.

He smirked after sitting up on his bed, fixing his hair that was turned into a hot mess by the brunette. He grabbed his History book that was sitting on his computer desk, setting it on his bed.

Imogen crisscrossed her legs as she stretched her arms in the air before returning her arms to her sides. "I want to learn about George Washington."

"Why?" He asked with a bored expression plastered across his face.

"He was the first President of the United States, it's important to learn about him." The brunette declared after opening his History book.

Eli shook his head in response. "We're not learning about him in class though, we are learning about The Civil War."

Imogen gave him a bored expression, closing the book shut before lying flat down on her back. "Forget it; I don't want to study now."

The dark brown haired boy sighed in annoyance. "You said you want straight A's, and I'm trying to get started on helping you improve your grade in History."

"The things Mr. Hernandez teaches us in that class is confusing!" Imogen screeched in frustration, closing her eyes shut.

"I can give you a better explanation in the things he teaches us." Eli exclaimed calmly.

Imogen sighed dramatically. "But what's the point of learning about History? They're all dead! That was the past, now it's the present."

"It's still good to know about the past, Imo."

"Tutor me later!" She whined after grabbing his pillow and throwing it at his face.

He glared at her intensely. "No,"

"Yes!"

"No," Eli replied as he snatched his pillow out of her hands.

"Yes!" Imogen whined as she glared at the dark brown haired boy.

"No,"

"Yes,"

"Nooo,"

"Yesss!"

"Nope,"

"Yes!"

"No,"

"Y–

Imogen was silenced by his lips crashing onto hers. _'__What a great way to shut me up…' _she thought as she slowly returned the kiss, snapping her eyes shut. The two continued to move their lips slowly together as Eli finally departed from the kiss.

"No," He said smoothly, opening his history book.

Imogen sighed in defeat, sitting up straight on the bed. "Fiiine," She whined.

xxx

This was the night, the night of having a load of fun. Bianca's house was loaded with a ton of Degrassi students having the time of their lives. Usually, the DeSousa's are always partying, and this night was one of those nights. Bianca crashed onto the couch beside Imogen, groaning dramatically.

"I am so high!" She beamed, obviously drunk.

Imogen laughed lightly, scanning around the room, trying to catch the sight of her boyfriend. She spotted Jose and Liam Berish conversing with each other. A smile formed on her face as she saw the two. She knew those two were really good friends and she also knew Liam had a _thing _for Marisol.

"Where's Eli?" She questioned, returning her gaze at her curly haired best friend.

"He's somewhere around this house," Bianca responded with a shrug as she took a sip of her champagne. Imogen sighed as she rose from the couch, scanning the room for Eli. After seconds passed, she noticed him leaning against the wall with a vodka in his hand. Just then, a familiar song started playing throughout the whole house.

_Ella es ese sueno_

_Que tuve despierto_

_Un recuerdo leve_

_De esto que siento._

_Unto sacudida_

_A mis salidas_

_La cima de un beso en un brinco suicida._

The song that filled around the room was obviously in Spanish, considering the DeSousa's are apart of the Hispanic heritage, so this type of music is part of their culture. _Virtual Diva, _by _Don Omar _was the song Imogen sincerely recognized as she heard the music. She stared at Eli, smiling lightly before walking over to him. He was wearing all black of course – with black skinny jeans. He was the darkest looking boy throughout the whole party. Others have judged him by his appearance. They believed he was obsessed with death, when really he isn't. Elijah Goldsworthy, the mysterious boy that Imogen is head over heels about, may wear black all the time, but that doesn't mean he's obsessed with death.

_Su fuente da energia_

_Cautiva mis sensors_

_Pues no hay que la controle_

_Cuando baila encendia._

_Tiene dentro esa chispa que quema transistors_

_Y bebe de un elixir_

_Que enciende sus motores._

"I was looking for you," Imogen chirped.

He smirked at the girl before him. "Well, here I am."

Imogen smiled as she rested her arms on his shoulders before wrapping them around his neck.

_Asdsjfsddfgsd_

Jose narrowed his eyes at the girl grinding on him, a smirk plastering on his face. He grinded with her as well, resting his hands on her waist.

Liam leaned against the wall as he stared at the two grinding against each other. "Can you two stop grinding? There are people staring."

Jose rolled his eyes, burying his face in the girl's neck after placing a gentle kiss upon it. "What's your name, sweetheart?" He asked against her neck.

"Rana," She replied before pushing herself off of him.

This girl was pretty in his eyes, but she also looked like a slut in his eyes. He hated those types of girls, so he only uses them for sex and not for love. The only girl that looked right in his eyes will always be Imogen. He actually wanted her, only her…but he knew he couldn't have her, considering she doesn't have the same feelings for him in return.

_Salio a la disco bailar_

_Una diva virtual_

_Chequea como se menea. Oooh_

_Chequea como se menea. Oooh_

_Chequea como se menea._

Liam watched as others were dancing, chatting, drinking, or even getting high. He saw Marisol walking into the kitchen, getting herself some fruit punch. She looked so pissed off, like always. He already knew she had been interested in Eli, but it was obvious that he didn't like her back, considering he's always seen with Imogen.

Liam sighed as he walked over to her. "Hey," He greeted.

She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at him with an annoyed expression. "Hi?"

A smirk came across his face. "You okay there?"

"Do I know you?" She questioned, completely ignoring his question.

"No, but now you do. I'm Liam." He responded.

"Liam? What are you, Liam Payne from that boy hand Two Dimension?" Marisol questioned, completely annoyed with the light brown haired boy.

"Don't you mean One Direction?" He wondered after shaking his head. "Liam Berish,"

"Marisol. Now that we know each other, get out of my face." She demanded harshly, already irritated with him.

"Feisty," Liam retorted as a small laugh escaped his lips. "So you look…frustrated with something?"

"Yeah, cause Emo boy pays more attention to the circus clown than me." She responded after rolling his eyes.

"Well he must be missing out, because I would be paying more attention to _you _than to her." Liam scoffed, shrugging innocently.

Marisol raised her eyebrows, returning her gaze back on the boy that was sincerely flirting with her. She sure as hell had no interest in this boy, but she did sort of felt flushed by what he had just said. "Are you flirting with me?"

He shrugged in response. "You're a pretty girl, and I'm surprised that no one else is paying any attention to you."

She blushed lightly, a small smile forming upon her face. "That's cause I'm boring to everyone else…I'm like that person that just…ruins the mood."

Liam shook his head, denying it. "I'm conversing with you, and you're not boring me." He stated.

Marisol rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Not including you,"

He smirked as he scanned around the room, trying to search for attention on her. There was not even one. He smiled to himself as he returned his gaze on her. "I guess the only attention you have is from me, and I _like _that."

She gasped as she smacked his arm, glaring at him intensely. "Shut up…!"

xxx

Everyone was just leaving while Jose stood outside, leaning against the automobile. A vodka was placed in his palm as he took a sip of it. He let out a sigh, feeling very much exhausted. The party has gone on for hours, 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. in the morning. He sure as hell was tired, but didn't bother on dragging his ass up into his bedroom. He decided to get some fresh air, outside, where no one else can bother him.

"_I had fun tonight," _a voice declared. Jose took sight of the person's voice, discovering it was the girl he sincerely liked. Imogen. She was busy with Eli, farther away from his house, in the middle of the street with her arms wrapped around his neck. The two were not exactly in the middle of the street, but they were in the street of course.

"_I can say the same thing," _Jose heard Eli respond in the most calm way. He sighed as he watched the two stare with each other.

He noticed the brunette leaning in to plant Eli a gentle kiss upon his lips, and she did. He watched as the girl he fallen for kiss his friend…and this was painful to him. He didn't like watching this at all. Watching her kiss other guys, especially a close friend of his…just hurt him on the inside, but he would never admit it. He wanted her to be happy, sure, but he still felt heart broken. He wishes that _he _was the one that she planted a kiss on, but instead it was the other way around. Her lips were attached to Eli's lips, and not attached to his. Yes he knew they were dating, but he just couldn't watch the girl he fell for kiss someone that is not him.

He looked away quickly, his fists tightening as he turned around before entering his house. He walked into the dark kitchen, placing his vodka down on the counter. This boy needed some sleep, _now _before he drives himself crazy over what he had just saw. He grabbed a hold of his Yankees hat that was on his head, taking it off.

He walked down the dark hallway, finally reaching his room. He lazily opened his door after yawning dramatically before closing his door shut. Jose was just so exhausted that he couldn't wait to get in bed and go to sleep. He groaned with annoyance before ripping his shirt off, crashing onto his bed as he squeezed his eyes shut. As seconds passed, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

**Author's Note: YAY! So now Eli and Imogen are finally dating! ^_^ Okay, but then Jose. I feel bad for Mr. DeSousa Oh well. There's a lot more chapters coming! Haha, the real point of the story hasn't started yet…wait it did, but not that best part. Anyway, Please leave reviews. Reviews motivate me to write more. Lol. :P Follow me on twitter: mzfeistyx3**


	6. Sapphire

**Author's Note: I cannot wait till fanfiction puts in the new names for the new Degrassi characters.**

**This chapter does contain something very…colorful. When I mean colorful, I mean something very explicit, which contains the rating on this fanfiction. Can you guess what that 'something' is? (;**

Months and months passed as the relationship between Eli and Imogen grew stronger. He took her out on dates almost every weekend and treated her how she is supposed to be treated. They were silver and gold, two beautiful metals combining together that forms White Gold. Imogen had gotten popular and popular over the past few months. The relationship with her and Eli was the top couple of the school. Many people paid attention to those two and they were the biggest gossip in the Degrassi hallways.

As the months were passing, Eli bought Imogen lots and lots of Silver jewelry and she was always seen wearing them. He bought her silver ear rings, bracelets, rings, etc. He even bought her a golden ring, along with a golden necklace.

The two were walking along the beach, their hands intertwined together. Imogen smiled lightly to herself as she locked her eyes on Eli. "The weather feels great,"

The wind was blowing continuously, hitting their faces as their hair flowed along the strength of the wind.

He shrugged responsively, staring out into the air as the two walked along the sand. The sun gone down and now the moonlight filled around Canada. The sky was dark, but it was also beautiful. All the stars in the sky filled upon it beautifully where you can find all the constellations. The moonlight was reflecting on the beach, which made it look even more beautiful at night.

Eli looked up at the sky, pointing his index finger at a pretty star. "I named that star after you,"

Imogen smiled in awe as she narrowed her eyes at the sky as well, searching for the star he was pointing to. There were many stars scattered across the sky, and she didn't know which star could possibly be the one he named her after. "I wish I can find this star…" She murmured lightly, giggling to herself.

He laughed along with her, pulling her closer to him. "Don't worry, you might not be able to find this star, but at least you know I named you after one."

Her heart felt warming as a smile formed upon her lips. She narrowed her eyes back at him, leaning her head on his shoulder as they continued to walk.

Lightening streaked across the sky as rain drops fallen. The two quickly shifted their heads up, noticing that it was going to rain.

"Oh no…" Imogen breathed.

As seconds passed, it began pouring rain all over the bodies of Eli and Imogen. Imogen screamed as she began dragging her feet, starting to run. Eli dragged his feet as well, running with her as the two searched for a place to dry off.

"Why is it raining!" Imogen yelled through the hard, pouring rain.

"I guess the weather decided to be bipolar today!" Eli responded loudly as the two continued running through the hard and intense pouring rain.

The wind was blowing furiously, having the rain become very intense as it drenched Imogen and Eli.

Eli noticed a small cave just nearby the bushes. He pointed his index finger as soon as he spotted it. "Over there!" He yelled, motivating her into moving faster.

Imogen narrowed her eyes to what he was pointing to exactly. She nodded her head responsively as she pushed herself a little faster, while Eli followed behind.

The two hurriedly made it into the small cave as they both entered. Imogen began shaking continuously, goose bumps scattering all over her arms and legs. Eli breathed heavily, turning his gaze to her as a small laugh escaped his lips. "That was…crazy."

She sighed hastily, stumbling down to the ground as she began breathing. "I hate when it rains…it makes me feel like a wet sandwich."

Eli's lips curved into a smirk, raising an eyebrow at her. "At least we're no longer in the rain," He let out his hand for her to grab. "Come on, let's explore this small cave."

"Whyyyy?" She whined with annoyance, lazy to do anything but walk around in a small/dark cave.

"Because it's boring to just sit around here," He said, motioning his hand closer to hers. "Come on," He repeated.

She sighed in defeat, motioning her hand over to his as she grabbed a hold of his hand. He lifted her up back on her feet, intertwining their hands together once more. A smile formed on his lips as they exchanged glances from each other to the cave. They soon began dragging their feet, exploring the dark and mysterious cave.

It became darker and darker as the two strolled down the small cave. A small light was shown from a few feet farther down the cave. Eli's eyes lit up as he noticed the small light, raising his eyebrows. Imogen saw the light as well, gasping lightly from underneath her breath. "I wonder what's over there…" She muttered.

A smirk came across his face as he pulled his hand free from Imogen's. "Why don't we go and find out then?" He suggested before running off towards the small light as it became bigger and bigger when he ran closer to it. Imogen giggled lightly as she ran after him, catching up.

The light was shinning beautifully as Imogen and Eli entered this part of the cave. They looked around this lighted part of the cave, discovering a bed covered with a bed curtain. The bed curtain was white and see-through, making Imogen jump in excitement.

"Wow!" She said excitedly as she ran over to the bed, jumping on it as she made herself comfortable.

Eli looked around this part of the cave, discovering a small couch, and a lamp sitting on top of a nightstand. He didn't know why exactly a mysterious bed was lying around in a cave, especially with a light on. There was no one else in the cave except for the two, and it was sort of creepy how this stuff was in the cave.

He sighed dramatically as he locked his eyes back on Imogen, dragging his body over to her. She was in her own little world, giggling to herself as she rolled around the bed. He smirked as he finally saw her lying on her back. He then pinned her arms down on the neat bed. Her eyebrows pursed together as she discovered what he had did.

"Well excuse me?" She questioned, demanding a straight answer from him as to why he pinned her arms down.

"There's nothing to excuse you for." He admitted as he hovered over her small body. She gasped lightly as she felt the wetness of his clothes pressed against her drenched up clothes. He was wearing a tight leather black jacket and that was the only thing that wasn't so drenched on him.

A smirk curved upon his lips as he rested his palm on her left cheek. "Looks nice in here, doesn't it?"

Imogen nodded her head responsively, laughing lightly to his comment. "Very nice! It's so confusing how there's a bed here along with all that other stuff…" She managed to say as her eyes wandered off at the rest of the stuff scattered around this part of the cave.

"Well there must be one reason," He admitted, lowering his voice.

Her eyes soon returned on his emerald green eyes, causing her to smile brightly. "And what is that reason?"

"Someone might actually live in this small cave." He commented, thinking clearly at the back of his head.

Imogen quirked an eyebrow at him in confusion. "Really? Like who? A hobo?"

He shook his head responsively, sighing disappointedly underneath his breath. "No…it could be anyone actually."

Imogen rolled her eyes as she rested her arms on his wet shoulders, staring deep into his emerald green eyes. "It feels relaxing in here…"

"I can tell since you're obviously into this bed." He joked as a small laugh escaped his lips.

A light laugh escaped Imogen's lips. "Funny,"

He stared into her chocolate brown eyes, exchanging glances from her eyes to her lips as he slowly leaned in. As seconds flew by, his lips soon met with hers, moving together. He took her lips in his as he moved his lips over hers. Electricity formed between this kiss, but it was a good kind of electricity. Imogen's hands traveled down his back as she moved her lips over his, deepening the kiss slowly.

Her eyes began traveling back to his hair. She tangled her hands into his hair, bringing his face closer to hers as she kissed him with desire. She shifted her body up against him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He took hold of her grip as he moved his lips in the same movement as she did.

His hands began roaming down her waist as he slowly began to slide his tongue into her mouth. A low moan escaped her mouth as she moved her tongue with his.

Eli slowly pulled away from the kiss, keeping his face still very close to hers as he breathed steadily.

She began to frown as her hands started to pull on the collar of his leather jacket. "I…I want to…" She whispered very quietly. He stared into her chocolate brown eyes, knowing exactly what she wants.

"I don't want to hurt you Imogen…" He whispered, kissing her lips once more.

Her frown deepened as her grip on his collar became tighter. "Please?" She begged.

He shook his head in response, clearing his throat. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I promise you, you won't!" She managed to say, her teeth starting to chatter in a sad way.

"You're a virgin…" He whispered, hoping for her to understand what he means.

She bit her lip nervously, trying to fight back the tears that were starting to form upon her eyes. "I don't care!" She yelled with emotion, staring into his emerald green eyes intensely. "I love you…and I want to give you my all…please Eli, please..." She begged once more as a tear began rolling down her right eye.

"Imo…"

"I love you, Elijah…" She whispered, light tears streaming down her face. He sighed in defeat as he kissed her once more.

He placed his palm against her cheeks as he wiped the tears clean. Her legs around his waist became tighter as she began pulling down his black leather jacket. He helped her take it off as he tossed it to the ground. He departed from the kiss as he sat up on the bed, pulling her in his lap.

She smiled instantly as she pressed her lips onto his, pulling on his shirt. He slowly began to pull off his shirt for her, tossing it to the ground as he returned his lips to hers. Her nails dug in his shoulders as the two moved their lips together continuously, tension seeking upon it.

His hands began roaming around her waist as he began pulling up her light brown dress before taking it off. The two returned their kisses once more as he proceeded to what he was doing. He unhooked her bra as he tossed it to the ground, getting a good view of her beautiful breasts. He stared at her breasts in awe, discovering the light blush that was forming upon Imogen's cheeks. She smiled with embarrassment as he now pushed her down on the bed, laying her flat on her back.

His lips traveled upon her stomach, to her chest, finally to her lips. Their half-naked bodies pressed against each other as Imogen giggled lightly when she looked up at the boy she desperately desired. Her hands traveled down his arms, finally to his black skinny jeans as she grabbed a hold of his spiky belt. She began unbuckling his belt as she pulled it off. After that was done, she proceeded into pulling down the zipper of his pants as she slowly pulled his pants down.

He shoved her hands away as he helped her with the rest of the work. He soon laid his hands against her panty line, slowly starting to pull it down as he tossed it to the ground as well. Their bodies got tangled together as Imogen wrapped her arms around his neck, completely begging for him to enter her already.

She stared into his eyes with a pleading look written across her face. He slowly brushed his lips against hers, kissing her slowly as he slid his member inside of her. This sort of felt different to Imogen since she's never done this with any guy _ever, _considering she is a virgin…or now _was._

She dug her nails into his back, keeping her eyes shut tightly as she pulled away from the kiss. He started to thrust his hips with hers simultaneously, never snapping his eyes shut. Low moans escaped Imogen's mouth as she felt the feel of the tension going up in her inner body. This feeling was a feeling she never felt before, and it was a _good _feeling by the mysterious and bad boy, Elijah Goldsworthy.

He kept his eyes on her, never snapping them shut as he watched her enjoy this moment. He only watched her steadily because he was making sure that he wasn't hurting her, and he doing an excellent job since she was moaning. He just doesn't entirely trust himself with body yet, considering he is a _guy _and he only had sex _once _in his life, so this makes it his second time.

He was scared of losing control with his body. When he reaches climax, he was in fear of going too fast and hurting the one he loves. Of course he doesn't want that to happen to her, but he was just too scared, it's just that…Elijah is bipolar. And it's very impossible to control his actions.

Tears slowly streamed down Imogen's eyes as Eli's body frozen, but aching for more. He stared at the tears streaming down her face, wondering what exactly is wrong.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, in fear of what her response might be.

She nodded her head with a slight smile, kissing him once more. "I'm fine, please keep going…don't stop." She begged, with the same pleading look he seen earlier plastered upon her face.

He proceeded to what he was doing, continuing to thrust into hers simultaneously. He continued to watch her intensely, making sure he wasn't hurting her. Her moans became extra louder, signaling something good.

'_Just calm down…she's fine.' _He said in his mind, shaking his head away from his thoughts once more.

He was too protective, and he didn't care if he wasn't hurting her or not. He just thinks he wouldn't be able to control his actions when it comes to stuff like this.

xxx

'_I did it…I didn't lose control!' _Eli thought in his head as he stared out into the dark cave. The light was now off and a sleeping brunette was placed against his chest. A small smile curved on his lips as he replayed their _first _time making love in his head. It was perfect, nothing to worry about, just two teenage people making love, showing how much they love each other.

Imogen actually told him tonight that she _loves _him, and he didn't exactly know how to respond to something like that. He hasn't told a girl he loved them since he lost Julia. _Julia _is the only girl he _ever _said that he loves, and there was no other girl. He felt that he couldn't easily lose his love for Julia, but now that he has met Imogen…she stole his heart.

Elijah Goldsworthy is beginning to fall for the one we like to call, Imogen Moreno, and he was too scared to admit it.

His eyes diverted on the sleeping brunette. She looked beautiful (as always) and for some reason, he felt happy with her sleeping on his chest. Julia usually did that, and now that she does it, it makes him remind her of Julia. He soon snapped his eyes shut. He began drifting away from his thoughts before falling back into a deep sleep, waiting for a new day to rise.

xxx

As weeks started passing, the Degrassi halls became very suspicious and Imogen was determined to find out what the actual hell was going on. Many girls were whispering to each other in the hallways, gossiping about her as they kept their eyes on the brunette.

She felt different for some sort of reason. She sighed as she opened her locker, grabbing her English notebook as she closed it shut. She strolled down the hall as many eyes were still on her, as if she had done something wrong.

'_Why are they staring at me like that?' _She wondered, entering her English class. The class diverted their eyes onto the brunette as it grew to silence. Imogen gulped nervously, wondering why everyone decided to stop talking. She glanced at all of the students in the class, finding her desk. She rolled her eyes as she walked over to her seat, hearing low gossips from the girls surrounded by her.

"_Did you hear that she finally gave up her V-card?" _a girl said, sitting a desk across from her. Imogen slouched down in her seat, wondering how exactly the girl knew she lost her virginity.

"_I bet she gave it to some hobo or something." _Another girl said.

"_I guess she's no longer the innocent one in this school. She loses her virginity at sixteen years old, she's so immature."_

"_I bet she lost it to Eli."_

"_Why would he want to take her virginity?"_

"_Because Goldsworthy is her boyfriend, it's obvious that he would want to steal her virginity since she was a virgin. Now that he has it, do you expect him to stay with her after taking what he wants?" _Another girl whispered.

Fresh tears started to form upon Imogen's face. She didn't know why they were talking about this. Who even started to this sort of rumor that is true? How did people find out? Imogen didn't want anyone to know about her sex life, she wanted it to be kept a secret.

The boy they were recently talking about as well entered the class as all eyes diverted his way too. Eli raised an eyebrow, curious to know why these students were just staring at him with a shocked look. He shrugged it off as he reached his desk, turning his head over to Imogen. "Hey," He said as he placed his bag down on the floor, sitting in his seat.

Imogen snapped her eyes shut, whispering a small _"Hey," _back to him. She continued listening to other girls gossiping carefully.

"_Well he has been with her for a long time, and I doubt that is what he wanted."_

"_He is a guy, Phoebe. Of course that's what he wanted, considering she was a virgin."_

"_Not all guys just want sex, Jasmine."_

Eli heard these whispers from the other girls as well, raising an eyebrow. He kept his eyes on Imogen, noticing light tears rolling down her eyes. He got the hint that probably it was about the gossip that was going on. Of course he knew about this gossip, but he didn't know how they knew about them having sex.

"Imo…" He whispered, trying to receive her attention. She sighed loudly as she turned her head to him, frowning deeply.

"What?" She questioned, biting her lip nervously.

"How did everyone find out?" He whispered very lowly, only for her to hear.

She shrugged in response, giving him an intense glare. "I can ask you the same question," She whispered harshly, crossing her arms over her chest.

He sighed. "Imogen, I didn't tell anyone, I promise I didn't." He confessed, hoping for her to believe him.

She looked down at her notebook, scared to meet eye contact with his once more. _'If he didn't tell anyone…then how did everyone find out about what had happened?_'

She narrowed her eyes at the girl sitting in front of her. _Marisol. _She was laughing with her girlfriends, and this seemed very suspicious to Imogen.

"Marisol," Imogen called, trying to receive her attention.

Marisol turned her head to Imogen, annoyed by her voice. "What do you want, Circus clown?"

"You are such a real bitch." Imogen managed to say, standing up on her feet as she glared at the girl before her.

"At least I'm not a whore like you. Everyone thought you were the only mature girl in this school, and you just proved everyone wrong. You gave up your V-card to your little boyfriend right there." Marisol said, turning her eyes to Eli.

His fists tightened as he glared at Marisol coldly. Imogen slapped Marisol hard across the face as a burning feeling steamed upon her cheek. She glared at Imogen as she grabbed a lock of her hair, trying to pull out her hair.

The two we're going in a fight, _this time. _Ms. Dawes was not there to be stopping this fight, and no one knew exactly where she was.

All the dudes in the class, except for Eli, began screaming _"Cat fight!"_

Imogen doesn't _do _cat fights. She actually does the real thing. If there is a fight that she's getting into, she won't fight like a bitch. She'll fight to the fullest.

She punched Marisol hard in the face as she pushed her away from her. Marisol groaned with rage as she threw Imogen down on the floor.

"Stop fighting!" Eli yelled as he grabbed Marisol, trying to stop her from attacking Imogen.

Imogen glared at the girl above her, kicking her hard in the stomach. She screamed at Imogen as she struggled to get out of Eli's arms, but Eli dragged her away from Imogen, stopping this fight.

_"Imogen Moreno and Marisol Lewis, to the office, now!" _Mr. Simpson yelled as all eyes diverted to him in silence.

xxx

"What the heck has gotten into you both?" Mr. Simpson asked as he stared at the two sitting across from his desk.

"Why don't you ask her? She's the one who loves to bring me down every year." Imogen confessed harshly, narrowing her eyes at the girl next to her.

Marisol glared at Imogen, denying her comment. "Don't blame this on me, it's not my fault you're always getting in _my _way."

"Your way?" Imogen said, turning her body around to face her as she continued talking. "You are the one who is always on my tail! You want to ruin my life, that's what you want to do to."

"No one wants to ruin your life, Circus clown." Marisol replied, annoyed with Imogen.

"Then how does everyone know about what happened that night? Don't you always spread rumors?" Imogen said, demanding an straight answer from Marisol.

"You guys went to the beach, it's obvious you were too weak to keep your virginity." Marisol stated.

Simpson slammed his hand down on his desk, receiving Marisol and Imogen's attention once more. "This is going to stop once and for all, I am tired of the two of you causing disturbances in this school."

"But Marisol is the one who always starts everything!" Imogen said, raising her voice.

"I don't care. The two of you have something going on and this is going to be fixed, _soon._" He said.

"So you're not giving us a Detention?" Marisol questioned, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"I'm letting you guys off the hook for now, in the meantime, _get it together, _or there will be some changes around here, _big changes."_

Imogen and Marisol nodded their heads, turning to each other once more as they put on a fake smile.

xxx

"So you guys...did it?" Jose questioned, trying to process the information Imogen was giving to him.

Imogen nodded her head in response. "Yes...and somehow, everyone found out."

Jose nodded in understanding. They were sitting in a gazebo, in a large park. They usually hanged out in this gazebo ever since they were little. They always called it their _special gazebo, _because that's where they discussed and done a lot of things.

He looked down at his hands, feeling lost. She lost her virginity to Eli, and not to him. This was very painful to him and he didn't know how to process this new information. He always knew her as the girl who would never give up her virginity, until she married. But as she grew up her mind changed. She gave it to Eli, and that obviously meant one thing...she _loves _him.

"I'm sorry..." He managed to say quietly, keeping his eyes on his hands.

"It's fine..." Imogen breathed, she patted her back as a small smile formed upon her lips. "I miss hanging out with you,"

He smiled and turned his head to her, fixing his Yankees hat as he turned it to the side of his head. "Feels like old times, doesn't it?"

She smiled brightly as she laid her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes shut. "I love you, Jose."

_"Imogen is cheating on Eli with Jose!?" _a girl yelled, causing Imogen's head to shot up as she turned around, discovering Katie and Marisol.

**Author's Note: Cliffhanger. ;D Haha, so now this fanfiction is going to get spicy. Now, you'll meet more drama in the up coming chapters so stay tuned! **

**I also liked to know what you guys think when she said "I love you" to Jose. She meant it a friendly way, like she cares about him a lot. But what do you think Jose's reaction will be? Will he think that she meant it in a friendly, or will he think that she meant it for real? She didn't say **_**in **_**love! **

**Okay, leave me reviews and I'll update this sooner or later. (;**


	7. Emerald

**Author's Note: I love leaving cliffhanger's cause it leaves my readers to excitement and dying for the next chapter to come. (;**

**Since the last chapter was full of drama, these upcoming chapters (including this one) will have loads of drama, leading to the climax on the story. :P Anyway, enough of me ranting on - enjoy!**

_"Imogen is cheating on Eli with Jose!" a girl yelled, causing Imogen's head to shot up as she turned around, discovering Katie and Marisol._

Her eyes widened at the sudden question left by the two girls. None of it was true, and that sudden question left her speechless. Jose noticed how nervous she looked and quickly shook his head, denying the question. "She's not cheating,"

"Then why did she say _'I love you, Jose'_?" Marisol questioned, crossing her arms as she awaited for an answer.

He shrugged, not really knowing why she said it. "She's not the type to cheat, Mare."

Imogen glared at the girl, standing up on her feet as she stared out the gazebo, looking at Marisol powerfully. "Really Marisol? You're trying to destroy my life once again?"

"Nope, but trust me, you're going to _wish _you never said that to Jose." Marisol stated, a small smirk forming upon her lips.

Imogen placed her hands against her hips, trying to figure out what Marisol was up to. "Wow, haven't you even heard of friends who say that to each other? Understand the freaking meaning Marisol!"

" 'I love you' has a strong meaning." Marisol confessed, smiling at the brunette.

" 'I'm _in _love with you' has a strong meaning." Imogen remarked, rolling her eyes at the girl once more.

Imogen knew she was right and she wouldn't let Marisol have the last word. She told Jose she _loves _him because he's her best friend, and she didn't mean it in another way. She loved him so much, but she never loved him like the way Marisol assumed.

"Whatever Circus Clown, when you finally get the burn of your life, you wouldn't want to be in Degrassi anymore." With that, she walked away with Katie.

Imogen huffed, turning on her heel as she narrowed her eyes at Jose. "Did-did you know that I really meant it in a friendly way? Nothing else?"

He nodded his head slightly. "Now I do...I was kinda surprised since you never told me that before."

She sighed. "I'm in love with Eli, and I would never intend on telling you the same."

He raised an eyebrow at her, the pain hitting him inside his chest. Did she really mean it that way? She would never be in love with him? His heart felt torn into pieces as he heard those words escape her mouth. He didn't even know how to react to that comment. He nodded his head as he slowly walked out of the gazebo.

He didn't even want to talk to her after what she said. He never expected for her to say something like that.

Imogen watched as he walked away, confused for a second. She jogged over to him only to grab his arm as she stopped him on his tracks. "Jose?" She said lightly.

He turned his head to her, meeting his chocolate brown eyes with hers. He felt pain in his heart and he didn't want to be around this pain anymore. She was the one who said something like that to him, and that broke his heart. "What?" He questioned with venom, glaring at the girl in front of him.

She flinched as she pulled her hand away from his arm, wondering why exactly he began having an attitude with her. "What I do...?" She whispered lowly.

"Maybe you should figure it out yourself." He said before walking off, leaving the brunette speechless. What the hell was going on?

xxx

She entered her house before closing her door shut. She sighed heavily as she heard her mother beginning to speak. "Imogen?"

Imogen sighed as she walked in the kitchen, seeing her mother. "Hi Mom," She quickly ran up to her bedroom as her mother followed after her. "Imogen?" She called once more.

Imogen groaned with annoyance, turning her head to her mother. "What do you want Mom?"

"How are you, Bianca, and Jose doing?" She questioned, biting her lip nervously.

"We're just fine mom, why?" She questioned, quirking an eyebrow at her mother.

Her mom sighed before speaking. "I came here to tell you that you need to start packing soon."

"Packing? Why are we packing?" She questioned in confusion. "Are we going on vacation or something?" She turned to her mom to see her frowning.

"Didn't I tell you?" She asked. "Imogen, we're moving."

Moving? What?

She stared out in space, the words sinking in her body, the full meaning of the words sunk through her whole body as her hand landed on the dresser hard. "Moving?" She repeated with rage, glaring at her mother. "What do you mean by _moving?_"

"I mean we're moving to New York," her mom responded. "Fern and I were having a conversation a while ago and we decided to move to New York, with Jose and Bianca."

Fern is Jose and Bianca's mother, and Imogen knew her very well. But she didn't know exactly why they wanted to move to New York. "But why!" She nearly screamed.

"Because, Fern got me a great job there." She sighed before continuing, "We have to move there in order for me to do my job."

"But what about Eli?" Imogen questioned. "What about Eli!" She repeated, raising her voice.

They were moving to New York? But that would mean...

Leaving behind everything else, leaving behind the memories, leaving behind her popularity, leaving behind her friends, leaving behind Eli...

Tears began to fill in her eyes as she tried to fight them back. "Mom, you can't do this to me!" She yelled with anger, hurt filled inside those words.

"Imogen, we're just mov—"

"I won't let you do this to me, Mom!" She yelled once again. "I have a boyfriend mom! I have friends here! I can't just leave!"

"We're moving Imogen," her mom told her once more. "It doesn't mean your friends or Eli will forget you."

"But New York is too far away! Mom, please don't!" She yelled once again.

"There's nothing else I can do Imogen! I already told Fern we would be more than happy to move to New York." Her mother said sternly.

"I'm not happy about this though! I don't want to move to New York with them!" Tears were now streaming down her cheeks, unable to keep them held inside her.

"I'm sorry Imogen, but I already ordered a van and boxes for moving." She said.

"I'm not packing, and I'm not moving! I refuse to!" Imogen shouted with venom. "How could you decide to move without even telling me first or asking what I thought of this? You really thought I was going to be happy about this mother dearest?"

"Do not smart talk with me, Imogen." Her mother responded, shocked by the way Imogen is talking to her.

"Oh, so you want me to dumb talk now?" Imogen questioned, glaring at her mother.

"Say one more word and you will be ground—"

"What about dad?" Imogen yelled suddenly. Her mother's face was silent, surprised how she just mentioned her father out of nowhere.

Imogen took slow steps, finally reaching her mother as she glared at her intensely. "What about dad, huh? What about him? Did you just flip a switch and erase him from your memory—!"

"Enough is enough!" Her mother yelled, hurt by the sudden words Imogen had spoken.

"It's been a year since he died mom! You forgot him, didn't you? How could you forget about him mother! Did you ever love him at all!?" Imogen yelled with pain and sorrow in her voice, her heart hurting inside her chest.

"Imogen..."

"You're dead to me," With that, Imogen walked out of her room and ran outside, slamming the door shut behind her.

xxx

_"Okay, get this, you know how I went to the park yesterday where the gazebo is at?" _Eli could overhear Marisol saying some stuff to one of her friends, one of them being his ex, Clare.

_"Yeah?"_

Eli shook his head, opening his locker as he pulled out a book which he shoved into his backpack. He pulled out a different book from the backpack and traded it in for another book from his locker. He could still hear Marisol and her friends gossiping to each other from the other side of the hall.

_"Okay, so I was at the Park and I just-so-happened to glance at the gazebo and Imogen was there with a boy. And it __**wasn't**__ Eli."_

_"Yeah, so?"_ Clare questioned, not really caring about the latest gossip.

_"I heard her say 'I love you,' to the boy, and it was Jose." _Marisol confessed, an evil smile creeping upon her lips. Clare raised an eyebrow as all the other girls gasped.

_"And what's so bad about that?"_ Clare questioned, quirking an eyebrow. She knew Imogen didn't love Jose like that, she saw it for her own eyes.

Eli froze, suddenly interested in the conversation they were having. He knew Jose and that was _his _best friend, he also knew Jose as Imogen's _best guy friend. _

_"She told him that she loves him, that obviously means something!"_ Marisol said with a high tone.

_"So?"_ A girl snorted. _"I tell people I love them all the time which means nothing more. Telling someone you're in love with them obviously means something."_

It was silent for a while, and Eli's attention returned to his locker.

_"I heard she's cheating on Eli with Jose," _One of the girls, possibly Jenna, a girl from his History class, commented quietly.

_"I heard she's pregnant," _another girl whispered.

_"I heard she's pregnant with another guy's child," _someone else whispered dramatically, gasping from underneath their breath.

_"No way!" _someone exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

_"Yes way! I heard it with my own ears!"_

_"From Imogen?"_

_"Um...well, no...from someone else." _the girl lied.

There was another silence.

_"Her and Eli did have sex in a cave, at the beach," _Marisol stated, mumbling words from underneath her breath.

Eli could hear their footsteps echo down the hallway as the gossiping girls exited the school building. Meanwhile Eli stood frozen in front of his locker, Marisol's words echoing in his ears.

He shook his head, slamming his locker shut which lead the other girls near his locker to flinch. He glared at those girls before walking down the hall, seeing Imogen speaking with Drew. What was she doing speaking with him?

He dragged his feet over to girl, only to listen to have of the conversation they were having.

"Thanks for helping me," Imogen smiled.

"No problem," Drew chuckled.

Imogen giggled lightly as she noticed Eli before stopping on her tracks. She smiled at her boyfriend lightly.

"Imogen," Eli said, stopping in front of her. He narrowed his eyes at Drew and then nodded at him, acknowledging his presense. Drew simply pursed his lips, and nodded back.

"Hey, Eli..." Imogen mumbled with a small smile, exchanging glances from Drew to Eli.

"We have to go," He told her abruptly, grabbing her hand.

"Huh?" She said, startled and with confusion.

"Now," He added sternly, pulling her away from Drew.

"Oh, uh, bye Drew!" Imogen yelled over her shoulder, smiling apologetically back at him as Eli pulled her to her next class. Once they were around a corner, Imogen pulled her hand out of Eli's and glared at him.

Eli turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "What?" He said with annoyance.

"What was that about?" She questioned, demanding an answer from him. "That was just plain rude, Eli." She added.

"What was?" He said innocently, not really caring how he reacted while Drew was there.

Imogen rolled her eyes before glaring at him, placing her hands on her lips. "What you just did!" She shouted. "I was talking to Drew, and then you just butted in and pulled me away! What will Drew think now?"

"He'll forget about it by tomorrow," Eli snapped back, turning away. "Now let's go before we're late to class!"

Imogen stared at his back as he walked away, her mouth gaped open in shock. "Oh!" She huffed, crossing her arms angrily over her chest as she stomped away after him.

_What has gotten into him all of a sudden?_

xxx

"Drew!" Imogen shouted.

"Hm?" Drew turned around to see who called his name, noticing the brunette he had last seen earlier. "Imogen? Hey."

She smiled at him slightly. "Hey, I just wanted to say sorry about the way Eli was acting earlier today. He can be quite...rude at moments."

Drew laughed a bit, shrugging in response. "No need to apologize for that," He said. "Eli was just making it clear that you were his, and was nobody else's to touch. You can't exactly blame him, with all these rumors flying around about you Imogen..."

The brunette blinked, pursing her lips together as she tried to figure out what these rumors are. "Where are all these rumors coming room?" She questioned, demanding a straight on answer from him.

"I don't know, but these rumors aren't good Imogen, people think you're cheating on him." He said.

"They're not true, none of it is true!" Imogen raised her voice, almost panicking.

"I know," Drew said, smiling at her. "Well, see you tomorrow, Imogen. Say hi to Eli for me."

Imogen sighed as she turned around, nearly bumping into Eli as she did.

"Eli!" She said quickly, in shock she bumped into him.

"You were talking to Drew, again?" Eli asked, anger already building through his veins. A scowl was plastered upon his face, and he was found glaring at the brunette.

She matched his glare as well, beginning to speak. "Knock it off, Eli. I was just apologizing to him for the way you were acting to him after class."

"And that was all?" He questioned, clearly not believing her.

"Serously? What is your problem?" Imogen questioned with annoyance, as they walked down the hallway, heading for the exit now that school was out. "Am I not allowed to talk to any other guys except you now?"

"The hell are you talking about?" Eli growled.

"Just stop being jealous of every guy I talk to!" She shouted. "What reason do you have to be jealous? It's really stupid."

"Well maybe I wouldn't be so _jealous _if you weren't always being so flirtatious with every guy you talk to." Eli spat.

"Flirt-what?" She said with confusion, rage building through her body. "I wasn't even flirting with Drew!"

Eli narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend, but said nothing.

Imogen rolled her eyes as she glared out into the distance where she could see Marisol, Katie, Clare and some other girls huddled together. What was Clare doing talking with them? She didn't know. She saw them turn towards her and then back to each other, gossiping about some stuff. No doubt they were creating up some rumors about her that aren't even true.

She finally got the hint, realizing from all these rumors spreading she finally got the hint. She stopped suddenly, her mouth gaped open as she stared at Eli. They had now reached his hearse. "You believe the rumors!" She yelled, her glare returning to her face. "I can't believe you actually think I'm cheating you! Are you serious right now?"

Eli looked up at her, but then returned his attention to unlocking the car door.

"You do believe them!" She hissed angrily.

"Imogen, just get in the car and we'll discuss this when we get to my place." He said with annoyance, his eyes cold as he glared at her. She was about to say something angrily back, but then stopped herself. Eli can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

She angrily pulled the car door open as she climbed into it, slamming the door shut. She glared out the window the whole time as Eli drove to his house.

Imogen sighed as Eli parked his hearse in it's usual place in the driveway. She climbed out of the car, shutting the door gently behind her.

"You don't actually believe those rumors, do you?" She asked as she followed him inside his house. He remained quiet as he walked up the stairs to his room. Was he seriously avoiding her question? She couldn't believe this!

"You don't trust me." She stated coldly, glaring at his back. As the two finally reached his room, he sat on his bed, returning his gaze back on the brunette who was clearly pissed at him.

"You believe a bunch of useless crap over me? Your _girlfriend?_" She questioned, hurt filled upon those words escaping her lips. "Eli, I did _not _cheat on you with _anybody!_"

She became even more upset as he continued to stay silent. She hated when people just don't answer her when she asks questions, it seemed very rude to her!

"Are you giving me the silent treatment or something?" She screeched, her hands balling into a fist. "Why don't you believe me? Am I suppose to confess to you about something I didn't do? Am I suppose to say I cheated on you when I _haven't_?"

She couldn't believe he was actually starting to believe any of this shit. She isn't even cheating on him!

"You don't have to say anything," Eli responded calmly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Then why am I wasting my breath on this?" She responded angrily. He shrugged which only ticked her off once more.

"I – did – not – cheat – on – you," She said once again, trying to emphasize the meaning of her sentence.

"Then why did you tell Jose you love him?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She placed her palm against her face, completely angry about this. "Are you freaking serious right now? He's my best friend! Of course I'm going to tell him that I love him! Do you even_ understand _the difference from the words _I love you _and _I'm in love with you_?"

He kept silent, cursing from underneath his breath. Imogen placed her hands against her hips as she glared at her boyfriend. "I don't even have feelings for Jose that way! Jose doesn't even have feelings for me either!"

Oh, but he does, Imogen.

He continuously stayed silent, the brunette getting even more angry. "Jose is your best friend as well, right? Would he really play you like that and go after _your _girlfriend? Would I really play you like that and go after _your _best friend? I don't cheat Eli, cheating is wrong. If I was unhappy with this relationship, I wouldn't need to cheat."

_'True...' _He thought in his head before speaking, he sighed as he looked at Imogen. "I'm sorry,"

"Probably everything may seem fishy because of all these useless rumors, but they would soon be gone." She stated.

"How do you know for sure?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I'll explain it to you someday, just...not today. Not right now." She reached forward and ran her hand from his elbow down to his wrist before intertwining her fingers with his, slowly turning her head upwards so her eyes met with his.

His emotions left to her eyes, but Imogen knew by the way Eli's free hand trailed up her arm to cup her face that he now believed her. "Why can't you explain it to me now?" He murmured.

She sighed softly. "It's kind of complicated," She replied.

"I'm sure I'll be able to keep up." He responded, waiting for her to tell him or not.

She looked down sadly before returning her gaze back on him. "I'm sorry," She said, smiling apologetically. "I just don't feel like talking about it right now, I promise I'll tell you everything eventually, just not now."

He sighed, staying silent for a moment before nodding. "I understand," He said. Imogen smiled happily, and then she sat on his lap before wrapping her arms around his neck. She placed her lips softly against his.

Eli pulled away from the kiss briefly to whisper into against her lips, "BullFrog and CeCe is out on a date. They won't be home until later." Imogen silenced him with another kiss; Eli wrapped his arms around her waist as he pulled her body closer to his.

As the two continued to kiss. Imogen couldn't helpt but drift off into thoughts of her previous days.

_**When They First Met**_

_Imogen's jaw dropped as she locked her eyes on Eli. "Are you serious right now? You're really considering on going on a date with her?" Imogen asked him, pointing her index finger at Marisol._

_Eli now met his eyes with Imogen's, staring into her chocolate brown eyes. Imogen saw Eli's eye color. The color of green, like emerald... This made Imogen feel a bit nervous._

_"Is there a problem with that?" He asked her, smirking from under his breath. Imogen stared into his eyes in awe. 'wow...' She thought._

_**The First Heartbreak**_

_"Can you please explain to me what exactly is bothering you?"_

_"You!" She screamed, more tears streaming down her face. She didn't want to cry in front of him at all; she didn't even want him to see her cry..._

_"You gave me mixed signals all night yesterday, Eli. And I also received a silver rose from you?"_

_"Imo–"_

_"–You are a heartless jerk! You messed with my feelings and you get yourself a girlfriend right after?" Imogen screamed, her face wet from the tears streaming down from her eyes and down her cheeks._

_**The First Kiss**_

_Eli took a step closer to her, silencing her with just his index finger against her lips. Imogen gulped nervously as her eyes stood on his. He slowly pulled his index finger away from her lips before conversing with her._

_"I've been thinking a lot about something lately."_

_Imogen raised her eyebrows before crossing her arms over her chest. "A lot about what?"_

_"Something..." He breathed before taking one more step closer to her._

_Their bodies were dangerously close, causing an adrenaline rush go up Imogen's spine. "What is that something?" She asked lowly as she stared into his emerald green eyes._

_A small smirk formed across his face. "Oh, I don't know," He leaned in and captured her lips with his, kissing her passionately. Imogen gasped lightly into the kiss before returning it. Their lips moved together wonderfully, electricity forming between the kiss. Imogen lightly placed her palms against his shoulders as they continued to kiss. Tension was seeking its way through the intense kiss before Eli departed from the kiss._

_**The First Time...**_

_"Imo…"_

_"I love you, Elijah…" She whispered, light tears streaming down her face. He sighed in defeat as he kissed her once more._

_He placed his palm against her cheeks as he wiped the tears clean. Her legs around his waist became tighter as she began pulling down his black leather jacket. He helped her take it off as he tossed it to the ground. He departed from the kiss as he sat up on the bed, pulling her in his lap._

Imogen didn't want to leave Eli at all, she loves him so much that it's driving her crazy inside. She wants to be with this boy and there is no way in hell she would leave him.

It was like a fire had been sparked.

His kisses were sweet, loving, tender, but at the same time they were hungry, wild, and passionate against hers. His hand cupped her chin as he tilted it upwards in order to deepen the kiss, his lips felt so soft against hers. His taste was so irresistible, and so addicting to her.

His hand was so soft against her cheek, that she laid her hand on chest, kissing him back. It was if his kisses were his apologies for accusing her for what she didn't do. It was like he wanted to make her feel better with those kisses. They were loving and sweet. It was a kiss like...it makes a person wish time would just freeze, that way the kiss could never end...

The kiss was full of so much love and emotions.

She also wondered if Eli even loved her? She told him that she loved him...but he hadn't even told her _once _that he loves her.

Eli soon placed her flat on his bed as he hovered over her. She wanted to tell him to stop, but underneath him, his scent was drowning on her like an ocean wave. She didn't even want him to stop at the same time.

He placed his lips against her neck as he kissed it tenderly.

Imogen snapped her eyes shut, remembering what her mother told her.

_"We're moving Imogen," her mom told her once more. "It doesn't mean your friends or Eli will forget you."_

She frowned slightly. She wanted to spend all the time she can with Eli before she moves. She leaves in just a few days...Saturday actually, the day after _Senior Prom._

_'Eli doesn't even know I'm moving...What am I so afraid of? I'm just moving, I've moved once, and he had moved thousands of times. No big deal...' _She thought, feeling his lips still against her neck.

_'Why am I so afraid to tell him this? Will he not want a long-distance relationship? That he will break up with me because of it? That he'll cheat on me with someone else while I'm gone? Am I afraid he'll decide he likes someone much better than me? Someone he actually loves?' _All of these thoughts just fluttered through her mind that she was becoming scared.

Eli's lips left her neck as he returned his glance on her. She breathed the same air as he did. His intoxicating scent filled through her mind. His cologne was to die for. He soon brushed his lips against hers, kissing hers desirably.

She was too weak, she couldn't take it, she needed to tell him now. Tears formed upon her eyes.

Eli kissed her harder, his fingers roaming around her waist as he pulled on the bed sheets. It felt like an adrenaline rush went up her veins, like she just suddenly froze. She felt almost numb by everything she was feeling. She was just too scared...and hurt.

"Eli, wait..." She whispered lightly.

He didn't hear her.

She lifted her hand, pulling his lips away from hers. "Wait, Eli, I..." She said lowly. Eli raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "What is it?" He questioned, quirking an eyebrow at her.

She couldn't tell if he was worried or annoyed by his facial expression he had on her.

"I have to tell you something first," She told him quietly. It was now or never.

"What is it?" He sounded concerned, making Imogen nervous to speak.

She didn't say anything yet, still trying to gather all her thoughts in her mind.

"You can tell me what it is you need to tell me," He told her. He kissed her once more, before pulling away as he waited for her to begin speaking.

"I know...it's just..."

Imogen found herself unable to look in his eyes, she was just too scared to tell him the truth. "It's just..."

Did she really have to leave Eli? She didn't want to. She was just hoping that one day she would wake up, realizing this was all just a horrible nightmare, and none of those rumors existed.

She snapped her eyes shut, avoiding eye contact with him as tears just filled her eyes.

"Imogen?"

She snapped her eyes open and quickly blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. He frowned at her. "What were you going to say?"

"H-huh?" She shuttered.

He raised an eyebrow. "What did you need to tell me?" He asked again.

She stayed silent, unable to answer his question. She looked down at his shirt, scared to look into his emerald green eyes.

"Imogen?" He asked again.

Her head snapped up quickly at the sound of his voice, blushing nervously. "O-oh! I was just going to ask if uhm..." She trailed off, trying to think of something else to say. "Do you have a condom?"

Really? Seriously?

Eli blinked at her, not expecting a question like that from her, he assumed it would be something more important. "I'm sure my dad has some hiding in a few of his drawers," He sighed, getting up to go find one.

Imogen groaned, angry with herself. That's not what she really wanted to ask him! She hated herself right now.

xxx

Imogen led Eli into her house and closed the door behind them.

"Where's your mom?" He questioned.

"Hanging out with Fern," She simply replied.

"Who?" He questioned.

"Jose and Bianca's mom," She said for him to get a better understanding. "I also need to tell you something."

"And what is this _something_ you need to tell me?" He questioned.

"I'll tell you in my room," She slipped her hand into his as she lead him upstairs, to her room on the left.

Eli took a seat on the edge of her bed, turning his head to the brunette.

"Well, firstly, my mom and Fern have been hanging out recently." She stated.

"As I heard." He nodded.

"And Fern had found my mother a job," She said.

"Go on." He said.

"And her job is in New Y—"

_Rrrrrrrrrrrrringggggggg! _The door bell buzzed.

"Seriously! Now?" Imogen yelled with annoyance as she stomped over to the window, pulling up the window to see who was at the door.

Jose?

"What is he doing here?" She muttered loudly. She closed the window before turning to Eli. "I'll be right back!" She marched back down the stairs as she reached the front door of the house, opening it.

"Are you here to apologize again for your little dramatic scenes?" Imogen questioned angrily. Eli could hear Imogen from downstairs, wondering why she was upset with this person she was talking to.

"For your information, I was not being dramatic. If you actually put thought into what you specifically said to me yesterday, I wouldn't have come off like the way I did." Jose retorded, rolling his eyes at the girl.

Imogen crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"You do know about the news with Fern and Cynthia?"

Cynthia was Imogen's mother's name.

"Yes, okay, can you leave now?" She pointed. "You're ruining things!" She yelled with annoyance.

Eli raised an eyebrow as he got up on his feet, walking over to the window sill to only see Imogen and Jose talking. He felt anger run up his veins as he saw her talking with him.

"What exactly am I ruining?" Jose questioned, fixing his Yankees hat on his head. "We need to talk though about _us _though."

Us? What did he mean by us? Eli didn't like the sound of that as he glared at Jose from the window.

"I'm busy, okay, bye." With that she tried to close the door but was only stopped by his foot preventing it from closing. "Can you move your foot please?" Imogen asked with annoyance.

"No. Did you even tell Eli about the news?"

"No, I haven't." Imogen stated.

"You need to tell him sooner or later, Imogen." Jose breathed.

Eli raised an eyebrow, wondering exactly what it was. What was it that she needed to tell him exactly?

"I was trying to a few minutes ago till you came and ruined everything!" She placed her palm against her chest, pushing him back as she slammed the door shut.

Jose smirked, turning his Yankees hat to the side. "I love you too!"

"Oh whatever," She remarked, as she turned on her heel.

Eli turned away from the window, his mind filled with anger and betrayal.

Imogen entered the room. She smiled at him slightly. "Sorry about that," She apologized. "That was J—"

"I know," He replied. "I have to go." He interrupted.

Imogen blinked in shock. "What? But I still haven't told you what I needed to tell you! It's important!"

"My dad called," He lied. "He wants me home. Now." He walked passed her, shoving his hands inside his pockets.

"But..." She called weakly, following his footsteps.

"I'll see you Monday," He responded.

With that he left the house, leaving the brunette speechless.

What was going on through his head? He felt angry, hurt, and betrayed. He _knew _Imogen was cheating on him for a fact.

**Author's Note: Another cliffhanger! Ahaha...anyway, I think this like 5,000 words? O_O wow, that's a lot. I just couldn't stop writing, I was getting so hooked with this chapter and all the drama, haha.**

**Anyway, Imogen isn't cheating on Eli at all! Eli just doesn't know the truth, and the truth is, she is moving to New York. She tried to tell him, but he left, thinking she really is cheating on him.**

**You're so gullible Eli...**

**Leave a review? (; let me know what you think happens next.**


	8. Destroyed Silver

**Author's Note: This chapter is pretty intense, so much drama, so much OMG you'll just have to read this yourself.**

_"I'll see you Monday," _The words replayed in her mind, making her wonder where he was.

He said he would see her Monday, but he wasn't there. It was completely confusing to her, considering he was never absent. He hasn't been absent once since his first day attending Degrassi. She only knew that because she also hasn't missed a single day of school...not that she was a student who wanted to keep a perfect attendance or anything, she just didn't want to do extra work on the days she missed.

She walked home from school, dragging her feet up the stairs as she finally entered her room. She sat on her bed, picking up her phone as she dialed Eli's number. It began ringing for a few seconds until he finally answered.

"Eli?" She wondered.

_"Yeah?" _He said in response.

She sighed lightly, beginning to speak. "I was worried about you, you weren't here today at school...are you alright?"

_"I'm fine," _He replied, _"Just sick,"_

The way he sounded through the phone didn't even sound sick at all. Was he lying to her? She didn't know. But then again, they were talking over the phone.

"I hope you feel better soon," She said, continuing to speak. "Senior Prom is Friday, you know..."

_"I know," _He replied.

Things became awkward after a few seconds. "Well, uhm...I'll see you tomorrow I guess? If you feel better?" She questioned hopefully, frowning slightly.

_"Maybe," _He replied with no emotion in his voice.

"I love you..." She whispered.

He grunted and then hung up.

Imogen pursed her eyebrows together, placing her phone down on her lap before closing it. What the hell was going on? It sounded like he didn't even want to talk to her at all. Did she do something wrong?

No...he specifically told her that he is sick.

But then why didn't he say "bye" after hanging up?

Imogen sighed, crashing her head onto her pillow.

xxx

He didn't show up Tuesday either, and this was the exact day he had missed the class election where they elected a prom queen and king. Even though he wasn't there that day, he still got elected along with Imogen.

Imogen sighed frustratedly, thinking she should call Eli again or not. She figured since he was sick yesterday then it probably meant he was still sick to show up today. And so, she resisted the urge to call him again and ask why he wasn't at school.

Wednesday came and he still wasn't there.

Imogen sighed sadly, remembering the next day is Thursday, then the day after Thursday is Friday, Prom. When is he ever going to get better?

Thursday came, making Imogen completely worried. He didn't show up _again._

She sat up from her bed, dragging her feet down to the ground as she got up, walking over to her closet. She stared at her Prom dress that was wrapped in plastic. It was the only thing in her closet, considering she already packed up her other clothes in a box since she was moving on Saturday, the day after Prom.

She still hasn't told Eli the truth. He needs to know that she's moving...he just needs to.

She scratched her head, turning on her heel as she walked over to her bed, grabbing her phone. She dialed his number, awaiting for him to pick up.

By the second ring, he picked up, only to stay quiet.

"Hey," She greeted, sighing lightly. "Um, are you still sick?"

There was a brief silence, and then a small _"yeah," _in response.

"Are you feeling any better?" She wondered, biting her lip hopefully, waiting for his response.

_"No," _He responded. _"I don't think I'm going to be here tomorrow."_

Imogen's face dropped in disappointment. So that means...he wouldn't be at school...or Prom.

"Oh,"

Silence.

"Well, I hope you feel better soon!" She told him, trying her best to sound optimistic. She sighed afterwards, beginning to speak once more. "Eli, we really _really _need to talk." She said.

_"About?" _He questioned with no emotion once again.

"I still haven't gotten the chance to tell you what was so important the other day..." She managed to slip out.

_"I kinda got the message myself," _He replied.

Imogen pursed her eyebrows together, biting her lip. "You did...?"

_"I have to go now. Bye." _

Before she could say anything else, he hung up. Her mouth was gaped open, leaving her speechless. Did he really know she was moving? Or?

She sighed before dropping her cell phone onto her bed, burying her face into her Hello Kitty pillow.

Imogen was spending about eighty bucks to get her hair done. She had spent a few hundred dollars buying the prettiest dress for prom. She was no doubt going to spend an hour or two in front of the mirror, making sure she looked perfect. She was spending so much money and going through so much trouble just to look beautiful...for Eli. And he wasn't even going to be there to see her...

Like Eli guessed, he wasn't there on Friday.

Even though he wasn't, she still went to the beauty salon to get her hair done. Her hair was done beautifully. She had her hair down nicely, flowing curls hanging from each angle of her hair. Her hair was practically curly, but it also looked straightened. She hadn't worn this hairstyle to school, so it was somewhat different to her. Her hair was always put up into two high pig tails, or even two high buns, even a nice high bun. For all the years she has been attending Degrassi, she has never let her hair out.

And even though Eli wouldn't be there to see her makeup, she still took as much time she would have took if Eli was still coming. She carefully lined her eyes with eyeliner and brushed a glitter rose red eye shadow on her eyelids. She brushed a white powder over her face and then brushed her cheekbones. After all that was done, she searched through her packed boxes for a nice and long-lasting lipstick that was the brightest red she could find.

After everything was done, she put on her beautiful dress. The prom had already started by the time she finished her makeup.

The dress she wore was a nice colorful dress. It wasn't colorful like the rainbow, but it looked very different and unique. The dress was perfectly fitted around her waist and it was only down to knee-high level. She had on the necklace she had received from Eli, which had the words _Guardian Angel _engraved on it. It was a gold necklace she had received from him a couple months ago, a gift from him. He told her that she was his Guardian Angel, and she told him the same. She also had on Silver earrings that had the letters _I _and _E _which obviously stands for _Imogen _and _Eli. _They were diamond earrings.

Her wrist was dangling with Silver and Gold bracelets, along her pearl bracelets she had received from him. He bought her a ton of Silver and Gold gold jewelry, considering he spent a lot of money on her.

She didn't even ask him to buy those things, he just did it himself.

Imogen sighed, almost depressingly as she stared at herself in the mirror.

So much money spent, so much effort put in that makeup, and the person she wanted to impress most wasn't even going to be at her very first Prom.

She smiled at herself in the mirror, starting to feel happy for the first time in days.

She heard the doorbell ring downstairs, and a few seconds later she could Fern's voice and then Jose's. Imogen quickly walked down the staircase, and everybody watched her as she did so, staring at her as if she was some beautiful goddess descending the staircase rather than some average teenage girl about to go to Senior Prom.

Jose stared at her in disbelief, the way she looked in his eyes took his breath away. She looked so different, so beautiful that...he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Whoa, Imogen." Fern said. She smiled at the brunette, staring at her dress. "You look beautiful!" She smiled.

Imogen giggled, blushing lightly as she then heard a small _"wow," _escape Jose's lips. She narrowed her eyes at Jose and noticed Bianca standing next to him. Bianca ran up to her and hugged her tightly before pulling away. She took a look at her nice dress once more before flickering her eyes back on her best friend. "You lookin' sexy mama, you got a lot of _sofrito _up in you."

Imogen just giggled, listening to the spanish referrence Bianca put on her. She took a look at Bianca's Prom dress, it was short like hers, and it was a purple dress. It looked very nice on her, and fitted her body perfectly. "Actually, _you _got a lot of _sofrito _up in you." Imogen remarked, stealing her spanish referrence Bianca had put on her.

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Imogen." She smiled.

"I think you mean _muchas gracias._" Imogen replied, using a spanish remark on her. She giggled lightly as she returned her eyes on Jose. He was wearing a nice black tux, with a red tie. She wondered who his date was.

She looked at Jose in the eyes noticing how shocked he looked. "Do you like what you see?" She spoke with a small laugh.

"You look really..." He began to say, fluttering his eyes on her slowly to the bottom of her dress, returning them back on her beautiful face. "really, beautiful."

"Thanks Jose," She winked after giggling. "But sorry, I'm already taken."

Jose rolled his eyes. "Funny,"

"You look handsome Jose." She said with a smile. "Who's your date?" She wondered, raising her eyebrows.

"I don't have a date," He said.

"Well that sucks..." Imogen said with a frown. She turned her eyes to Bianca. "I'm guessing your date is Fitz?"

Bianca nodded her head with a small laugh. "Duh!"

"So when's Eli going to pick you up?" Jose questioned, raising his eyebrow.

"Imogen's boyfriend is sick, so he can't take her," Cynthia, Imogen's mother, spoke for her. Imogen turned her head to her mother, sighing slightly. "She's been down about it all week, worrying about whether he would be better in time to take her to Prom."

"Don't you have any other boy to take you to Prom?" Fern asked, raising an eyebrow.

Imogen opened her mouth to reply, but Jose said something before she did. "I can take you to Prom...if you want."

"I don't need—"

Just then the doorbell rang, cutting off Imogen's sentence.

"I wonder who that could be," Cynthia wondered, turning her head to the door.

Imogen sighed as she hurried over to answer the door in her Prom dress. She pulled open the door, her jaw dropping when she saw who was standing outside her door in a white dress shirt and black pants.

"Eli!" She exclaimed cheerfully, a large smile forming on her lips.

Eli stared at the brunette girl in front of him, amazed by her beauty. He was breathless just staring at her, and he swore his heart had stopped beating. She looked even more beautiful when that famous smile of hers plastered upon her face, lighting it up.

"You're here," She whispered, wrapping her arms under his as she hugged him tightly. When she pulled away, she looked into his eyes, that smile still plastered on her face. "I thought you were sick?"

Eli blinked in confusion, slowly remembering what she meant. Her last words rang in his ears. _Oh yeah._

He was supposed to be _sick. _Of course, that was just a lie he had made up just so he didn't have to see her all week.

"I feel better now," He replied calmly.

"I'm so glad you're here!" She said with a hug. "I was just thinking about visiting you."

Eli raised an eyebrow. _In a prom dress? I don't think so._

_"I guess Immy doesn't need a ride to Prom after all,"_ Eli heard a boy say quietly from the kitchen. Eli felt something in his chest tighten at these words and he felt his anger begin to grow rapidly.

_'Someone else was going to take Imogen to Prom?' _He thought to himself, anger filled inside his body. _'Probably that other loser boyfriend she has.' _Eli closed his eyes and forced down his anger, taking slowly, cool, calming breaths.

_'Well, it doesn't matter. I've already made my decision.'_

"Eli, there's someone I want you to mee—"

"We have to get to Prom," He interrupted her. "Prom has already started, and it's probably already crowded. C'mon, let's go." He said as he took her hand, beginning to lead her towards his hearse.

Imogen's face deflated as he did so, but she just sighed, and allowed him to lead the way.

xxx

Everybody was staring at them as the walked, better yet, they were all staring at her. The girls were glaring at her with jealousy, hating how beautiful and _better-looking _she looked when she walked by. The boys were staring at her with inappropriate thoughts passing through their minds.

_"Dude, no wonder she has two boyfriends,"_ A boy whispered when her and Eli walked by. "She's fucking hot!"

Imogen turned around, about to confront the guy and politely correct him on how she only has one boyfriend. But before she had the chance to do so, Eli pulled her back, and so she followed him to the punch table.

"Stupid people," She muttered under her breath.

Imogen glanced around, and smiled when she spotted her other friends not too far away.

"I'll be right back," She said, making her way towards her friends.

"Hey guys!" She greeted them, grinning. They all looked at her, but said nothing. Her grin began to blur until it slowly dropped into a confused frown.

"What?" She asked.

"Eli is back," Fiona pointed out.

"Shouldn't you be with him?" Becky said with a glare. "After all, you have no problem ditching us for him every other time. You never hang out with us anymore, you're always stuck with Eli, Bianca, Jose, and Fitz."

Imogen sighed, remembering her previous school year. She was always seen with Fiona, Becky, Rana, and Alli. Those four girls were really close with her during her eleventh grade year. But every time Imogen tried to bring Bianca in the group, they always kept their distance from her. As if, they never liked Bianca.

As Imogen entered her senior year, she barely paid any attention to her junior year friends. She was always with Bianca, Jose, Fitz, and Eli throughout the whole year and this upsetted them. What made them upset the most is her being with Eli all the time.

Becky Baker has been her best friend since sophomore year and junior year, but now things were different.

Imogen stared at her old best friend despairingly. "Becky, what happened to you? You've changed..." She said.

"Becky isn't the one who changed," Fiona butted in. The brunette turned her face to Fiona, confusion filled in her face.

"You're the one who changed," Alli continued accusingly, her usual smile being pulled down into a frown. "You don't even sit with us anymore Imogen. You barely talk to us anymore. You don't answer our calls or texts or anything. We used to BFFs Imogen, we used to do everything together, and now..."

"We were like very close with each other." Fiona exclaimed. "Now...now it's like we're strangers."

"That's not true," Imogen said, denying the comment. "We're not strangers...guys..." She turned to Rana and Becky. "Guys?"

Rana coughed quietly, rolling her eyes as she looked away.

"I'm sorry Imogen, but you are different." Rana commented. "And with all these rumors going on around here...I don't even know who you are anymore."

"None of those rumors are true!" Imogen said in panic, pain feeling through her chest. Her heart froze.

"We just can't keep thinking you're our friend anymore, Imogen." Fiona whispered. "You don't ever talk to us anymore, you ditched us for Bianca, Fitz, Jose, and Eli! You're always seen with them. When we try to talk to you, you're always too busy doing other things, and when we try to call you, or text you, you never answer! It's irritating how you just don't pay attention to us anymore Imogen."

"We're glad you found somebody you really like, or may even love, but if you're just throwing away our friendship like that, the best decision is us not being friends." Becky exclaimed, staring at her old best friend with confidence. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, but she didn't let them, considering she believed Imogen just left her friendship because she forgot all about her.

Imogen felt a tear run down her eyes as she heard her friends say those words.

"Guys, you can't be serious..."

"Oh, we're completely serious Imogen." Becky snapped back. Imogen stared at Becky with hurt filling through her chest.

"Not like you need friends anyway," Fiona muttered bitterly. "You have everything a person could ever possibly dream of: looks, money, brains...you're gonna end up being Prom Queen anyway, so what does it matter."

The four girls turned away, disappearing into the bright lights and dancing figures.

A song began playing, filling the entire room.

_"They say I'm young  
>But my purpose is the inspiration of a nation innovation.<br>Til I change the talk into a conversation.  
>I'm like a doctor and my patients are anxiously waiting,<br>Healing all the hating,  
>That faking in the paper chasin'.<br>It's hard to live up to these expectations that I'm facing,  
>And gave the admiration of an older generation.<br>That's why I'm pacing back and forth contemplating,  
>Meditating how to use what I've been taught as a positive force."<em>

Rumors. All these lies...they began to circulate throughout the entire room.

"Imogen, why aren't you and Becky friends anymore?" A random girl questioned as she passed by. She ignored the girl, and walked silently passed the girl, wiping away the tears that fogged her vision and ran down her cheeks.

_"I heard Imogen and Becky are no longer friends because she saw Imogen trying to seduce the guy she liked. I don't blame Becky though, Imogen's a slut. I heard she works at a stripper club; that's how she affords all those silver accessories."_

She heard them gossiping about her, watching her as she walked by, muttering more lies under their breath to their neighbors.

_"Really? I didn't know she was a stripper. But I suppose that does explain why she has so many expensive things. I always assumed she just stole them."_

She searched for Eli's face in the crowded room, looking for that familiar shade of dark brown hair. The room was hot and stuffy, and the loud music was making her head throb, although she didn't think the song that was playing was that bad. She felt exhausted although she had only been at Prom for half an hour at the most.

Imogen sighed and checked her watch. Her and Eli came really late; Prom was almost halfway over. They usually annouced the Prom Queen and King halfway through.

_'I still have to tell Eli I'm moving,' _She thought to herself, a sigh escaping her lips as her head began throbbing even more painfully.

Finally, she spotted Eli at the other side of the dance floor.

_"Hey, Eli! Is it ture you're going to break up with Imogen?"_

_"..."_

"Eli! There's something I need to tell you," Imogen said as she reached him. He only glanced briefly at her. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He uncrossed them as he shoved them into the pockets of his pants, turning to face her.

"There's something I need to say first." He replied with a harsh tone.

Imogen frowned slightly, surprised by his cold tone. "Uhm, sure...what do you need to tell me?"

Curious heads turned their way, all ears for what Eli was about to say.

_"Oh!  
>This is who I am,<br>I wish you'd understand  
>It's time to set me free,<br>My Guardian Angel.  
>No!<br>No matter what I do,  
>I'm still a part of you,<br>I hope you'll always be  
>My Guardian Angel"<em>

"We're through."

Imogen blinked in confusion, the words registering in her mind. The meaning of the words soon registered in her mind, making her blink once again.

"You're breaking up with me?" She questioned, shocked by this, truly shocked. Her eyes were wide in surprise, but not in hurt. She couldn't believe it. She really couldn't believe this.

Eli confirmed her words with a nod and a cutting glare.

She was at lost for words. Yet somehow, she managed to find some words anyway. "Wh-why?" She questioned, still more shocked than angry or hurt.

"You thought you would be able to cheat on me and get away with it?" He sneered, crossing his arms over his chest.

_"Cheating on you?" _She repeated, her voice raising.

"You said you're not cheating on me with Jose, but am I really pathetic to believe your lousy excuses? Actually in fact you couldn't even come up with a lousy enough excuse for why I should believe you when you said there's nothing going on between you two!" Eli shouted, angry with his girlfriend, or _ex-girlfriend._

Tears began to fill in Imogen's eyes as she saw nothing but a blur of the dark boy.

She could hear people murmuring to one another around her.

"Eli..." She whispered. "You can't possibly believe that...I'm not cheating on you...I would never cheat on you. How could you think I was cheating on you with him?"

"You're always being seen with him," He responded with venom in his voice.

Imogen crossed her arms over her chest. "He's my best friend damn it! Just because I'm seen with him doesn't mean that he's a secret boyfriend of mine!"

"Oh yeah?" Eli questioned, raising his eyebrow, "If he's not just some other boyfriend of yours, then why did you tell him you love him?"

Is he seriously questioning her about this once again?

"I told you before! Damn it Eli, _I love you _and _I'm in love with you _has two different meanings! Do you not understand the meaning of the two!" She shouted. She stared at him hopelessly, tears pouring like a river down her cheeks, mascara mixed in tears. "Like I said before, if I was unhappy with this relationship, I wouldn't need to cheat!"

"But you did!" He yelled, glaring at her with his emerald green eyes burning into hers like coal in a fireplace.

_"Yeah!" _A boy who was watching them yelled. _"Tell us the truth, you liar!"_

_"Yeah!" _More voices yelled in agreement.

_"I wanna be the greatest in the world  
>Not for the money, or the fame, or the girls.<br>Not for the car keys, jetskis, or the vacation to the West Indies.  
>But simply 'cuz I love it<br>When I write I'm like a puppeteer  
>Pullin my strings, tell 'em all of these things<br>And the honesty makes me spread my wings.  
>Your calling me out was out of your mind<br>Send that thought back down your spine  
>I'm on the ground, it's all on the line<br>Both sides say both ways at the same time.  
>Most days I can't wait to rhyme<br>Express my stress, elevate and shine  
>Progess, regress, each step's climbed<br>So I take that test and I testify."_

Startled, Imogen glanced around and her heart fell when she realized nearly everybody who attended the dance were gathered around them in a circle, watching them, waiting for her response with wide eyes. In the crowd she could also see all of her friends, or...ex-friends, anyway. Becky, her blue eyes filled not with anger, but with sympathy. In fact, all of her friends had sympathy in their eyes as they watched her.

Suddenly, people started shouting.

_"Tell us the truth you fake!"_

_"Yeah, did you cheat on Eli, you slut?" _A girl yelled.

_"Tell us the truth, whore!"_

More tears spilled from her eyes as she closed them, hoping everything will go away, praying this was all just a dream, a horribly realistic dream. But when she reopened her eyes, her sight blurred by tears, she could still see them. The accusing faces of her classmates, the sympathetic faces of her friends and hatred-filled face of Eli. The world was spinning, and she felt broken.

_"Whore!"_

_"Slut!"_

_"Bitch!"_

_"You aren't a silver metal, you're a fake!"_

Started, Imogen looked up into the eyes of Eli, a cruel smirk plastered upon his face. "Looks like not everybody thinks you're so perfect now." He chuckled darkly, the sound ringing in her eyes like evil laughter.

She watched him helplessly as he countinued, "Thinking you're so much better than everyone else, thinking you can do whatever you want," He said, anger in his voice. "Thinking you're so _perfect _all the time.

"I don't think I'm perfect!" She said in defense, more tears falling from her eyes. "I _know _I'm not perfect! I have flaws, I make mistakes, I'm fucking _humans _for fuck sakes! But Eli, I swear I did not—"

"Cheat on me?" He finished, laughing darkly. "I doubt that. You haven't exactly given me any reason to believe otherwise."

"Eli—!" She screamed.

"You're so pathetic," He continued, his eyes full of hatred. "Always being so optimistic and happy, as if there's not a damn thing wrong with this world, always thinking everything is going to be alright in the end!"

"Eli—!" She sobbed, collapsing to her knees.

"Elijah," He corrected her coldly.

Imogen stayed silent, her eyes covered by her bangs that fell messily on her face. His words not only rang in her ears, but also in her heart.

_'He's right, I'm always being so optimistic and happy, thinking everything will always be alright in the end...but in reality, it's all wrong...I'm all wrong.'_

And knowing her, she would just continue hurting herself in an attempt to make Eli happy again somehow along with everyone else.

But this time...this time she was going to stick up for herself.

And she wasn't going to try to fix something that was probably meant to be broken anyway...

"Eli..." She whispered, a final tear sliding down her cheek.

"You're pathetic..." He repeated again, this time softly. "And you still can't come up with any excuses for why you're a cheating whore?" He asked harshly. "But then again, there really are no excuses for being one."

The room began to vibrate with laughter from all the people, and more tears filled in her eyes but she blinked them back, fighting the urge of the tears threatening to spill once more.

_"Cheating Whore!"_

_"Slut!"_

_"Hooker!"_

They started yelling again.

_**"Attention Ladies and Gentlemen, the results for Prom Queen and King are in!" **_The DJ called out. Nobody paid any attention to him.

"You know what Eli," She said softly, standing back up on her feet with confidence.

_"Oh!  
>This is who I am,<br>I wish you'd understand  
>It's time to set me free,<br>My Guardian Angel  
>No!<br>No matter what I do,  
>I'm still a part of you,<br>I hope you'll always be  
>My Guardian Angel"<em>

"You said I was your Guardian Angel," She said, lifting her head up and stared straight at him in the eyes. "Now I'm just someone you want to believe as a lying, cheating, whore!" She yelled. Eli held his groud, his eyes glaring back into hers.

"You can give me silver," She took the silver studs that had the letters _I _and _E _engraved on them, throwing them to the ground. They rolled on the ground and stopped right in front of Eli's feet. They sparkled in the room's dim lighting.

"You can give me gold," She ripped off the gold necklace that had the words _Guardian Angel _engraved on it, throwing it onto the ground as the sound clacking hit the hard floor.

"But—" She paused, her eyes starting to water again and her voice starting to tremble. "If you can't even trust me..."

_**"And the Prom King and Queen are—"**_

"...then it's better we're over," She whispered.

_**"Elijah Goldsworthy and Imogen Moreno!"**_

She turned away, tears streaming down her cheeks once more as she pushed through the crowd, ignoring the names being thrown her way and the occasional congratulations. When she could see the stars and moonlight from outside, she could feel the cold night air hit her face.

And even then she didn't stop.

She didn't stop when she heard her ex-friends screaming her name, screaming for her to come back and to wait up.

She didn't stop even when she tripped and fell, leaving her knees bruised up. She just kicked off her high heels and continued running.

She didn't stop when her dress got dirty as she ran through the bushes. She just tore the dress free, ripping the expensive Prom dress free from it's clutches.

She didn't stop even when her chest felt ready to explode, and the sharp pains tore at her inside like a knife stabbing her heart.

She didn't stop, and neither did the tears that blurred her eyes.

They didn't stop until she was home, and even then she only stopped to grab the spare key under the mat and unlocked the door. She ran inside, slamming the door shut as she ran upstairs, entering her room.

She screamed.

Cried.

And screamed some more in a fit of rage and despair.

"I HATE YOU!" She screamed.

She tore at the posters on her walls — at the posters of her celebrity crushes such as Taylor Lautner and Josh Hutcherson — and clawed at them, crumbling them, shrieking at them.

"YOU SELFISH—"

She took one of the portraits of her and Eli and broke the frame, shattering it into millions of pieces as it plastered upon the floor. When she moved her foot, a few pieces dug into her feet and blood began to fill through her feet.

"STUCK UP—"

Another picture of the two was shattered and smashed, followed by another and another.

"ARROGANT—"

She kicked at a packed box in her room, sending clothes flying everywhere from it. She picked up the clothes from the floor and threw them at her dresser and wall.

"COLD-HEARTED—"

She sent papers flying off her desk which then scattered messily onto the floor. She stomped angrily at the paper, kicking at them as tears of rage spilled from her eyes.

"BASTARD!"

She smashed her lamp to the ground before collapsing into sobs on the floor, glass piercing her skin and blood filling on her hands and knees. She cried and cried, broken on the floor...

_She was the girl who always smiled..._

Now she was lying on the floor, crying.

_She was the girl who was always strong..._

Now her world had crumbled and she was breaking with it.

_She was the girl everybody called perfect..._

Each and every one of them learned she was imperfect, just like them.

_She was the girl everybody called a silver metal..._

Now...she was just a fake.

She was the fake silver metal.

"I hate you..." She whispered, the image of Eli's perfect face burned into her mind. "I hate you...I hate you..."

_I love you..._

She picked herself up from the ground, tired, weak, and ghost-like, she walked over to her dresser. She looked into the mirror and noticed how different she looked.

Her chocolate brown eyes full of pain...

Tears stained her cheeks and blood stained the front of her dress.

She looked like a monster.

She tore her eyes away from her reflection, her heart beating faster from everything that happened that night.

Her eyes landed on the jewelry box she always kept on her dresser. The jewelry box where she kept all her rings and necklaces and bracelets that had been given to her over the years, whether from a family member, a friend, or an admirer of hers.

_"Thinking you're so much better than everyone else, thinking you can do whatever you want,"_

Eli.

She reached forward, her hand touching the cold surface of the jewelry box. She opened the box carefully, glancing at all of her silver and gold jewelry.

_"Thinking you're so perfect all the time."_

She snapped her eyes shut, feeling those words ring through her head once again, as if she was being hypnotized.

_"Thinking you're so perfect all the time..."_

_"...so perfect all the time..."_

_"Thinking you're so..."_

_"...perfect...perfect...perfect..."_

"SHUT UP!" She screamed. "I'M NOT PERFECT!"

She threw her jewelry to the ground, screaming at the top of her lungs as she tore at her hair, desperately wishing for an escape from all the agony her heart was in.

But no matter how loud she screamed...

No matter how hard she cried...

No matter how many silver and gold accessories she threw to the ground and smashed...

Her vision was still painted on the boy who broke her heart and tore it in half.

Rain spilled from the sky, and the wind blew powerfully at the windows. The weather perfectly represented Imogen's feelings: the sadness and tears, and everything that she had already...lost...and the anger she felt at everybody..everybody...

For not understanding...

_Eli Goldsworthy, you will never see me again..._

She stood up and walked over to her dresser again. This time, she opened one of the drawers and took out a pair of scissors. The kind barbers used to cut hair.

_And if I do just so happen to see you, Eli..._

She placed the cold metal of scissors so they were just below her chin.

_...you won't recognize me._

And the beautiful brown, silky, shiny, wavy hair...had fallen onto the ground.

**Author's Note: And this chapter was hella crazy.**

**I honestly was crying when I wrote this, like...I felt Imogen's pain. I didn't want to make Imogen go through all of this pain, but I only did it for the drama. I still feel entirely bad for Imogen.**

**This chapter had to be the most depressing chapter ever, like...I couldn't stop crying.**

**More stuff is coming in the upcoming chapters...**

**Let me know your thoughts? **

**Please click the button below.**


	9. White Gold

**Author's Note: And this is supposed to be Part 2 of Silver and Gold! Supposedly the sequel? I guess that's what it shall be called? Lol.**

**Summary For Part 2: She is the silver metal that broke; he is the gold metal that longs to be someone else. They were once White Gold, but they couldn't take the heat. Both were hurt and betrayed, but perhaps a second chance in New York can set things right.**

**BTW Most of these chapters will contain Imogen and Jose bonding with each other once again. Not so much in this chapter, but they will.**

It was past midnight when Cynthia returned home after hanging out with Fern.

By then Imogen's room was cleaned up, her pictures and posters were packed along with everything else that wasn't packed before. She was clean and freshly showered.

"Imogen? You're home so soo—" Her mother stopped her sentence as her keys dropped to the floor along with her jaw as she took in her daughter's appearance. "I-Imogen! Y-your hair..."

Imogen smiled, avoiding the hair problem. Her hair was cut very short, into a bob. Her hair had only reached to her jaw level, and it looked quite different on her.

"Mom, can we move tonight?" She asked.

Her mother was still trying to get over from being shocked after taking in the new appearance of her daughter's haircut.

"T-tonight?" She whispered.

Imogen nodded.

"But your friends...and Eli..."

Imogen pursed her lips together. "Eli and I broke up," She announced. Her mother's eyes widened and before she could say anything, Imogen continued with her sentence. "It's better this way, mom. We're too different anyway."

"But Eli...he was such a..." Her mother murmured.

"Can we move?" Imogen asked again. "My friends are fine with it," She lied. "So can we? It would be easier for me if we just moved now."

"Well, Fern does have a moving van at her house already..." Cynthia murmured. "But's it's midnight...it's late..."

"Please mom, please!" Imogen begged, grabbing her mom's shoulder like she was still a little girl. Her mother sighed and took out her cell phone.

"I'll see if Fern is willing to drive back with the moving van," Her mom told her. Imogen smiled and thanked her quietly, wrapping her arms around her mother in a thankful hug.

xxx

"Hey, Eli, are you alright?" Adam asked as he caught up to the dark brown haired boy. Eli shot a glare at him and snapped back, "I'm fine." Adam frowned.

"You looked pretty upset when you left Prom, after you know…your fight with Imogen..." Adam said quietly, his eyes dropping to the ground. Eli said nothing but glared at the ground.

"Did you talk to her?"

"Why would I talk to her?" Eli responded back, returning his gaze back on Adam.

Adam just frowned before speaking, "Well, I figured you would try to make up with her," He exclaimed. "You haven't talked to her since the dance?"

"I have nothing to say to her," Eli replied, shoving his hands inside his pockets.

"But—"

"But nothing," Eli hissed, walking passed the boy. "I wouldn't care if I never saw her face again."

As he walked further on, he soon spotted four girls in a circle, their phones out in front of them. He couldn't help but notice how their mouths were gaped open, as if they were in shock. Eli raised an eyebrow but then shook his head and began to walk pass them to enter the library.

"I can't believe it..." He heard one of them murmur in a tiny voice.

"Eli!" A hand grabbed his arm and he turned around to glare into the eyes of Fiona.

"What do you want?" He questioned with venom. She met his glare easily.

"This is all my fault..." A voice whispered. Eli's head snapped towards Becky who was looking at the ground with tear-filled eyes. "I shouldn't have been so harsh on her. I should have believed her..."

"It's not your fault she left," Alli comforted the girl, wrapping an arm around her.

"What do you know about this?" Fiona's voice snapped his attention back to her. She pressed a button on her cell phone and it soon started ringing. He looked at the name on the screen.

Imogen.

Eli backed away, but Fiona roughly grabbed his arm back, the two glaring at each other once again.

"I'm not going to talk to that—"

The ringing stopped and the voicemail came on. Eli stopped talking at the sound of her voice.

_"Hey, it's Imogen!"_

_"If you're calling because you're still thinking I'm cheating with Jose DeSousa, please just fucking hang up! Just to clear the false rumors going around about me being a cheating whore, yeah, my mom has a job! Yeah, you heard that? She has a job! Jose DeSousa's __**mother **__got her a job in another state! So there you go, now you have something to gossip about all day. But of course, some of you gossip whores probably don't believe me just because it's a lot more fun to say I'm a cheating whore, but hey, that's perfectly fine with me. Believe whatever you want._

_"If you're calling because you are actually worried about me after what had happened at Prom, don't waste your breath. I'm doing perfectly fine, and I don't need any of your concern._

_"If you're calling for more gossip because you have nothing better to do with your life except gossip, just keep listening. You'll get plenty of things to gossip about if you do._

_"And if you're calling to see why my house is empty, it's because I moved. Yeah, you heard right. __**I moved. **__Now you have more crap to gossip about all day. And now that I'm gone, you're going to have to find someone else to gossip about so you can ruin their life too. Have fun doing it!_

_"The only reason I'm moving is because the job is in another state, far from Canada! So obviously, there's the fucking truth you guys wanted me to spill out so much! Happy? Not what you expected huh?_

_"And finally, if you called for any other reason, just leave me a message. I'll make sure to delete it. I also promise you I will not be calling back.._

_"Goodbye Degrassi, Forever."_

Beep!

...

...

...

"Hey, where are you going?" Fiona yelled.

Eli didn't answer back; he just kept running until he reached his hearse. And once he was in his car, he started the ignition and backed out of the school's parking lot and drove towards Imogen's house.

He went passed all the stop signs and all the stoplights. Luckily, there were no cars at the intersections anyway, and no police around.

Eli stopped in front of her house, exiting the hearse as he ran up to the front door of the house.

...

...

...

_Unbelievable._

The house was empty.

Imogen had left.

_**2 Months Later . . .**_

They moved to the Bronx, New York City... They were living in this street, 151 avenue. Their apartment building they were living in was called Maria Lopez.

She didn't look the same. She looked really different. Her hair was still in a bob, but this time it looked dark. She didn't die her hair, but it looked different. She had chopped them off after Prom until they only reached her chin. Her hair was slowly starting to grow back, however. Of course, it would be a year, maybe even two, before her hair reached its regular length.

She had her hair into two low ponytails, but obviously the ponytails were really short considering she cut her hair into a bob.

Now she wore dark colored eye shadow, usually black or a dark purple color, eyeliner, and mascara that actually made her eyes look dramatic.

It's like she transformed from a very light girl who was always optimistic and always happy, to a very dark girl who is now depressed and never happy.

Even her clothes changed. Skirts, shorts, everything. Now all she wore were baggy pants or skinny jeans, t-shirts, a plain jacket, and the only silver jewelry she wore was now the only necklace she decided to keep, her name plate: _Imogen._

Today, she was wearing a tight black tank top with a red, wild skirt along with black fish net stockings.

Imogen sighed. She really was different now. She had been ever since the night of the Prom. Ever since the night she lost everything. The night she lost all of her friends. The night she lost her boyfriend. The night she threw everything away.

Glancing out the window from her room, she stared down at the ground through the window. The apartment her family was living in was pretty high up, and Jose's apartment room was just next door from theirs. She noticed there was a moving van in front of the apartment building. The moving van had numerous of packed boxes. She could see the door from the apartment building opening, a person stepping out from inside...

She sighed, turning around as she sat on her bed. Her room door flew open, revealing her best friend, Jose. What was he doing inside her apartment house anyway?

He sat on the edge of her bed, scratching his head awkwardly. "You sure changed throughout the months..."

"Do you not remember the night of Prom?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

He sighed, remembering the night of the Prom. "Why did he think you were cheating on him with me though? You obviously weren't."

"Because Marisol and her stupid friends. She likes to destroy my life Jose, and you know it." Imogen blurted, crossing her arms over her chest, trying not to remember the night of Prom.

"Well...I tried explaining everything to Eli over the phone, but he never answered my calls or texts." He replied.

"Because he thought I was cheating on him, Jose."

Jose just sighed, leaning his back on her pillow. He glanced around her entire room. It was all dark, and nothing but depressing emotions filled inside the room. He turned to the girl he desperately loved, but was hurting inside on how broken she looked. He wanted her back...to the way she was again...

"You know...I sort of joined the army," Jose said, turning his head to her.

Imogen raised her eyebrows, taking in his words. "Jose DeSousa joined the army?"

He nodded his head in confirmation. "Yup, a few weeks ago," He said with a smile.

"Looks like you're finally growing up," She joked.

He rolled his eyes in response. "Funny,"

"Hey guys!" Bianca said as she walked in the room.

Imogen turned her head to her curly haired best friend. She smiled as she looked over at the window once more. "You know the empty apartment house just a few floors downstairs? Yeah, someone just moved in there," She exclaimed.

Bianca pursed her eyebrows together with a shrug. "I wonder who is our new neighbors then."

xxx

_A flash that streaked across the starry sky, which caught Imogen's eye._

_"A shooting star!" She gasped, standing up._

_I have to make a wish, quick! Imogen told herself, thinking of something to wish for. An idea of what to wish for came into her head. She laid her hand beneath her chest, over her heart as she took a deep breath._

_**I wish Eli would be more...**_

_She stopped suddenly, guilt starting to crash into her. She was about to wish Eli would be more considerate. She shook her head, and started a new wish._

_**I wish everybody would stop thinking I'm so perfect...I wish they would stop treating me like I'm perfect, when I'm not.**_

_If only they could see my flaws and accept them, Imogen thought._

"Imogen?"

Imogen's head snapped up at the sound of Bianca's voice. "Huh?"

"You looked like you were in a different world," She joked.

"Oh, sorry..." She murmured, "I was just remembering a wish I made a while ago..."

"Better not tell me it then if you want it to still come true," Bianca said, looking up at the sky.

"Actually, it already came true." Imogen murmured, remembering the night of Prom.

The two were walking home from the store across the street, walking back to their apartment. They slowed their pace as they reached the used-to-be-empty apartment room. The blinds were closed and it was dark inside the room, but there were cars in the driveway.

"Should we say hi to our new neighbors?" Bianca questioned. "You never know, there could be a cute boy about our age who just moved into that house."

"I already told you Bianca, I'm done with relationships, and they're no good for me anyway." Imogen confessed.

Bianca sighed, remembering her last relationship with Eli. "There might be someone else better than Dr. Doom...a guy that might end up falling in love with you..."

Imogen sighed, "I'm through with love Bianca," She responded. "All the guys I dated either cheated on me, dated me for looks or money, only liked me because I was popular, or ended up completely backstabbing me during the middle of Prom by calling me a cheating whore."

Bianca rolled her eyes. "You really need to forget about Dr. Doom." She told her. They passed the new neighbor's apartment house before entering the apartment from the front entrance. They walked up the stairs, continuing to converse with each other.

"Move on. Find some new guy. Fall in love again. Only this time, _don't _get your heart broken." Bianca suggested as the two walked up a dozen of stairs, or even more.

"Easy for you to say," Imogen muttered. "I just can't forget about him Bianca..."

"After all the shit he put you through?"

"Well...he was the only guy I ever dated who made me feel as if I was truly in love. He was the first guy I dated who truly understood me," She continued. "He gave me the best feelings in the world whenever I was with him, Bianca..."

"Okay, now _that _is way too much information!" Bianca joked, a smirk plastering on her lips.

Imogen rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean it like that," She said with a small giggle. "He just made me feel all warm and awakening inside."

"I always felt happy around him. I always wanted to be with him through thick and thin, that way I could always feel awake inside...being with him was the best time of my life."

"But then when you two broke up..." Bianca whispered.

Imogen just frowned. "It was the worst..." She said quietly, remembering Eli's words. The hurt and anger just filled through her body, boiling up inside her. She shook her head.

"So who do you think lives in that room downstairs?" Imogen questioned, changing the subject.

"Hopefully somebody cute," Bianca said. A grin spreading across her face. "Someone very good-looking, sexy, bad boy, _very _bad."

Imogen giggled. "You have a boyfriend remember!"

"Fitz wouldn't mind! We are long distance, so...it doesn't matter." Bianca said with a small laugh.

The two finally reached Imogen's apartment room, entering the small apartment room her and her mother were living in. They quickly went into Imogen's room and plopped onto her bed before sighing. It felt hot in Imogen's room so she decided to go over to the window, pulling it up before recognizing someone downstairs just by the apartment room downstairs.

The boy had light brown hair; a grin was on his face as he talked to somebody on his left who was hidden by the trees. His voice was being carried by the wind, and Imogen knew she wasn't mistaken.

_Fitz? What is he doing here? Does he live in that apartment room now? _Imogen wondered, frowning.

"Is it just me or do I hear my boyfriend?" Bianca questioned, raising her eyebrow. She went over to the window sill, discovering her boyfriend. "Oh, so _he's _the one that moved in?"

"Oh," Imogen mumbled quietly, turning back around.

"Let's go say hi to him! I miss him." Bianca suggested.

Imogen hesitated before shaking her head. "I'm not in the mood,"

"Well...I'll tell him you said hi," Bianca said, making her way towards the door.

Imogen turned to watch her friend turn around to make her way downstairs. "Wait, Bianca!" She called while Bianca turned around, raising her eyebrows. "Can...can you not tell him I'm here, in New York?"

Bianca raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just don't tell him!" Imogen said, raising her voice with a slight smile.

Bianca sighed, nodding in understanding. "I'll call you later, kay?"

Imogen smiled. "Okay, bye!"

xxx

Imogen headed straight for the bathroom and took a quick 30 minute shower. Steam fogged the mirror which she wiped away with the palm of her hand. She stared at herself in the mirror, running her fingers through her short, wet hair and sighed.

When she exited from the bathroom, she put on a black tank top that fit tightly against her, putting on short red pajama shorts. She took out her cell phone and went through her voicemail. She received almost the same voicemails from her used-to-be-friends.

_"Imogen, please come back to Canada! We're sorry, and we miss you!"_

Alli's voice.

_"Imogen, won't you please text us back or at least call us? We're really worried about you. Please just let us know if you're okay..."_

Fiona's voice.

_"It's scary realizing how you just disappeared, please just answer the phone!"_

Rana's voice.

And finally, Becky's voice.

_"Imogen, I apologize for everything I said to you before. I was being a horrible friend and I'm sorry for treating you like the way I did back at Prom. Please come back...if you left because of Eli, he's not here anymore, he's gone! It's safe to come back now."_

_He's not here anymore, he's gone!_

Those words rang through her ears, making her purse her eyebrows together. What did Becky mean by _"he's gone"?_

This message left Imogen somewhat confused, but she just shook it off and deleted it like she did to all of the rest.

Her friends must have thought she moved because of what happened at Prom; they must have not realized she was going to end up moving anyway, even if what happened at Prom hadn't happened. They probably thought she had moved away so she could leave all of her problems behind...it made her feel guilty, but she knew she couldn't call back.

She didn't know why she couldn't call them back, but she just didn't want to remember the past. She just wanted to leave everything behind and forget that it ever happened.

She sighed and glanced at the clock on her nightstand when it read only seven o'clock.

Imogen sighed and quickly called Bianca.

"Hey Bianca," Imogen chirped, yawning afterwards. "You talked to Fitz?"

_"Yup, turns out it's not him whose moving in that apartment room; some friend of his though."_

"Fitz has a lot of friends," Imogen sighed. "That could be anybody."

_"Well, I haven't met the guy that lives in that apartment room, but I heard he's kind of rude, actually."_

"None of the kids from Degrassi or Canada are nice, Bianca." She muttered, remembering the previous events from Prom.

_"From Fitz's point of view, he's pretty good-looking though, he even said I know him."_

"Then, who is he?" Imogen questioned, biting her lip.

_"He was too much of an ass to tell me since his lips were crashed onto mines."_

_"_Har, har," Imogen said.

_"You should come outside so we both can see who this __**guy **__is." _Bianca whispered.

"I'm in my pajamas though," Imogen responded.

_"So?" _

"Is Fitz still there?" She responded.

_"Uhm, yeah, duh." _Bianca said.

"Did you...tell Fitz I'm here in New York?"

_"No."_

Imogen breathed a sigh of relief.

_"You're random," _Bianca told her. _"How come you don't want him to know you're here in New York? He hangs out with us and you know that."_

"I...just don't," She responded. "It's complicated...just please, don't mention me. Even if he asks about me, just...lie."

_"Fine, whatever you say. Does that mean you're not coming over to meet the guy?"_

"Tomorrow," Imogen promised. "If Fitz isn't there."

_"Hey, Bianca, who are you talking to?" _Imogen could faintly hear Fitz's voice in the background.

_"Oh, just a friend of mine. I was just inviting her to come over and meet you, Fitz—"_

"Bianca!" Imogen hissed over the phone.

_"But she's busy," _Bianca continued. _"She would be just the kind of girl you like you know...hot, sexy, optimistic—"_

"Bianca!" Imogen hissed once more.

_"She would be just like an old friend you know," _Bianca laughed. Imogen wanted to face-palm herself. Was Bianca's phone even up to her ear? Or was she just ignoring her? She guessed it might have been the second one.

_"I see," _Fitz said. _"Anyway, listen Bianca," _His voice dropped low, as if he didn't want somebody to hear him. _"Have you heard from Imogen lately?"_

_"No, I haven't heard from Imogen lately." _Bianca said calmly, giving Imogen a sigh of relief over the phone. _"Why?"_

_"I'll explain later," _Fitz promised.

_"Anyway," _Bianca said, speaking to Imogen again. _"Sorry for the hold up. Fitz just wanted to discuss something with me."_

"Oh, like I couldn't hear you!" Imogen replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

_"Well I gotta go, talk with you later," _Bianca said.

"Yeah, bye," Imogen said, hanging up her cell phone.

xxx

She was being pressed against a wall, her wrists pinned to the wall by a larger, muscular body. She could feel his lips on hers, and she felt dizzy as she pressed her lips back to his.

She knew who it was. She knew who those lips belonged too, and she didn't care. Maybe that's why it felt as if there was a tiny hole in her heart that was filling with a mix of joy and despair.

She knew who it was, but she didn't care. She enjoyed the taste of his lips against hers, even though in reality, she was tasting nothing since this was all just a dream anyway. She loved the way he was dominating over her, having her pinned to the wall. She enjoyed the feel of his hands roaming around her body, and the way his bangs fell messily on his forehead. She loved it like she had loved it when it was real. When it wasn't a dream.

Suddenly, his kisses became rougher and rougher, beginning to cause her pain. She tried to pull back, but she was already pinned to the wall. She couldn't breathe. Still, he continued to kiss her, his lips hard against hers. She realized she was suffocating.

Finally, he pulled back and when he did, he glared into her eyes. Imogen tried to back away again, scared by the intensity in his eyes, but noticed she was still pinned between him and the wall.

_"E-Eli..." _She whispered.

He didn't respond. His lips smashed onto hers once more, and this time she closed her eyes, hoping to wake up. She immediately wished she hadn't closed her eyes because images and voices began to roam around her.

_"We're through."_

_"You're breaking up with me?"_

_"You said you're not cheating on me with Jose, but am I really pathetic to believe your lousy excuses? Actually in fact you couldn't even come up with a lousy enough excuse for why I should believe you when you said there's nothing going on between you two!"_

The image of him angry at her was too painful. She wanted to open her eyes, but she couldn't. She could still feel Eli's rough lips against hers. She felt blood drop from her lip, sliding down her chin while tears streamed down her eyes.

_"Looks like not everybody thinks you're so perfect now." _

_"I know I'm not perfect! I have flaws, I make mistakes, I'm fucking humans for fuck sakes! But Eli, I swear I did not—"_

_"Cheat on me? I doubt that. You haven't exactly given me any reason to believe otherwise."_

_"Eli—!"_

_Did he not hear her? Why was he continuing on like this, breaking her heart?_

_"Eli—!"_

_Did he like watching her suffer? Why was he making her suffer? She didn't do anything wrong...why couldn't he see that?_

_"You're pathetic...And you still can't come up with any excuses for why you're a cheating whore? But then again, there really are no excuses for being one."_

Tears were running down her face. She couldn't breathe. She was suffocating...he was suffocating her. She tried fighting back, kicking, thrashing, but he was too strong. His lips remained on hers, moving passionately against her lips as she tried to struggle and escape this event.

_I can't breathe..._

_"Cheating Whore!"_

_"Slut!"_

_"Hooker!"_

She could hear the voices again, but this time it was only Eli's voice she heard. It was him calling her those names. Tears continued to run faster down her face.

Now it was her voice she could hear. But it was just a thought of hers she heard, not spoken words.

_I would do anything for you..._

I broke for you.

_I don't want to leave you..._

But I left you anyway.

_I love you, Eli..._

But you don't love me.

_"I love you...I love you...I love you..." _She kept whispering those words over and over again to him, but he said nothing. He didn't feel the same way. He didn't love her. He had just used her, and she was nothing to him.

Finally, she opened her eyes and the last thing she saw before blacking out from lack of air was Eli's handsome face, filled with anger that was directed at her and only at her.

_"I love you..."_

**x x x**

Imogen woke up with her heart pounding painfully in her chest. She touched her cheeks and realized she had been really crying. She curled up in a ball, her head between her knees as she sobbed her eyes out, agony twisting her heart.

The first few weeks after the events at Prom she always had the same nightmare, over and over again. Night after night she would re-live the events of Prom in her dreams, and every night she woke up sobbing to herself silently. It became so bad that she was afraid to go back to sleep.

But then after a while, the nightmares stopped, and now about two months after the nightmares stopped, they were starting all over again. Why? She didn't know why though.

_Please leave me alone..._

xxx

Imogen had now gotten a job as a maid, working at a fancy restaurant just nearby her apartment house. She poured juice into a cup before handing it to a young man. "There you go, sir." She said with a smile before turning around.

She was wearing this cute maid outfit, the black ones as usual. She had her hair down, her short hair flowing along her face with a white bow on the side of her head.

"You're quiet today," Bianca remarked as she sat at the table, staring at her best friend doing her job. Imogen sighed, pouring some juice into her cup before speaking. "Just had a bad dream last night, that's all."

"You look kind of sick...have you been eating?" Bianca wondered, noticing how skinny she looked.

"Of course," She lied. She hadn't eaten anything in the past few weeks. She had only been eating fruits, a red apple, and that's about it.

Bianca raised an eyebrow, grabbing a shrimp that was on her plate, motioning it over to Imogen. "Eat," She ordered.

Imogen sighed, taking the shrimp from her hands and placing it inside her mouth. The shrimp tasted really good, but she still wasn't hungry. She frantically held the silver tray in her right hand steadily; making sure none of the drinks will fall.

She turned sharply and—

_WHAM!_

The tray soon fallen onto the ground as the juice cups collided onto the ground as well. _'Today is not my day...' _She thought to herself, trying to figure out who she had run into. Her eyesight remained steady as she stared at the figure's black converse in front of her.

"I apologize for—"

Her head snapped up, and her heart stopped right at this moment.

She froze as her eyes met a pair of emerald green eyes. He froze too. Her body stiffened and her heart started pounding against her ribcage. She knew this was no hallucination.

_Eli..._

"Eli?" Bianca said in shock, looking at him with a very intense glare.

Eli didn't say anything, and when Imogen glanced at him she saw he was still staring at her, as if in shock.

"Well you're not just gonna stand there, are you? Help her up." Bianca demanded.

Imogen blinked and rage slowly filled through her veins as she remembered the words Eli told her at Prom. She could feel the tears burn in her eyes again, but she refused to let them fall. Anger made her push herself up and back on her feet again.

"I don't need any help!" She snapped, picking up the tray and all the drinks, walking passed Eli with rage.

Eli just glanced at Bianca, raising an eyebrow at her as if he was still in complete shock. "...what are _you _doing here?"

"I can ask you the same question," Bianca snapped back, meeting her glare with his.

"Well it's nice to run into you again," He snapped back, thinking about the familiar shade of chocolate brown eyes that had walked passed him. "Who was that girl?" He questioned, studying Bianca's face.

Bianca raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean _'who was that girl'? _You know who she is." She snapped.

He looked at her with a confused facial expression plastered across his face. "No...I don't...?"

Bianca stared at his face, realizing how confused he looked. "...you don't recognize her?"

"Well, yeah, because I don't know who she is." He simply replied, waiting for Bianca to answer his first question.

Bianca looked down at her plate of food, surprised by all of this. _He really doesn't know it's her..._

**Author's Note: I love leaving cliffhangers! HEHEHE.**

**This story keeps getting better and better, doesn't it? By the way, Eli really doesn't recognize her…he's just in denial. **

**Please click the button below.**


	10. Platinum

**Author's Note: Eli is very in denial, as shown in the previous chapter. **

**But hey, there's more drama along the way! (; the 8****th**** chapter was the best chapter yet, to be honest, since it was like the climax of the story.**

**Since this is the sequel, the climax will be shown soon!**

**Now continue on reading. (:**

The curly haired brunette just stared at the dark boy in front of her, completely speechless for words. She didn't know what exactly to say. Did he really didn't recognize Imogen? He couldn't just not recognize her since she was _his _ex-girlfriend. She was sure he would recognize her, but he just proved her wrong.

_Should I tell him that's Imogen? _She thought, thinking twice of what to do. She sighed, beginning to answer his question. "That girl was my friend,"

"I can see that, but…who is she?" He repeated.

She took in his words, now understanding the meaning of those words. "Oh that's…_Genny." _She breathed, cursing from under her breath.

Jose used to call Imogen _Genny _when they were little, but as they grew up; he stopped calling her that since it pissed her off.

He nodded his head, the familiar pair of chocolate brown eyes clicking into his mind. "Why does she look like someone I know?"

Bianca bit her lip, beginning to speak. "Uh…a lot of people look like a lot of people I guess…" She managed to slip out.

"She seems pretty…_strange,_" He murmured.

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Why are you here in New York anyway?"

"I _live _here now," He replied.

"I can obviously see that, but why are you here?" She questioned.

He shrugged, glancing back at the girl that reminds him so much of Imogen…

She only glanced at him with a very cold glare, returning her gaze back at the people she was handing the drinks to.

xxx

Imogen and Bianca were now entering College that was entitled by the name of _White Gold University. _Jose couldn't go to College since he was busy working in the army, so that would've been a distraction for him.

Imogen felt startled by the sudden title, remembering when she threw Eli back the jewelry she received from him at Prom.

There was only one problem; Eli was in this exact College which only ticked Imogen off. There is no way in hell she can stay away from him!

She sighed, staring at the paper in front of her. Bianca wasn't in this class with her but…Eli was, and she was angered by this. She was glad when he was seated in the table in front of a boy she knew oh-so-well in her childhood, Noah, and a girl who had the word _conceited _written all over her face, Isabella. Her back was facing him so she wouldn't get to see him as much, and she was happy with it. Of course, it would have been better if he was on the opposite side of the room.

She had ignored him all day, sighing from underneath her breath. Although she had ignored him most of the day, she swore she could feel him staring at her at times, but whenever she did look at him he was looking away. It left her frowning in confusion, but she would just shrug it off and would tell herself it was just her imagination, but then she would feel his stare again…

"Okay everybody, today we will be doing some chemistry," The teacher announced, Mr. Nieves. "So you will all be assigned partners."

Imogen sighed. She hated chemistry. If she knew geology was going to have chemistry in it, (or Eli, for a matter of fact) she wouldn't have selected it as one of her electives for the year. She couldn't understand how chemistry was connected to geology anyway.

"Okay so let's see…" Mr. Nieves muttered, adjusting his glasses. "Lyra, you're with Mason…Smith you're with Rodriguez…Goldsworthy, you can be with Miss Justice–"

_A perfect match. Mr. Cold-hearted bastard and Miss Cooler-than-everybody-else. I hope they live happily together for the rest of their lives. _Imogen thought bitterly.

Isabella gladly scooted closer to Eli, and batted her eyelashes at him flirtatiously. Imogen made a face at this and rolled her eyes, turning back to Mr. Nieves.

It was sickening how Isabella obviously liked Eli, but of course, it was only sickening to Imogen because Eli was her ex-boyfriend. Now Imogen knew how Clare felt when she started dating Eli.

"Moreno and Hartnett, you two will be paired up together," Mr. Nieves announced, referring to her and Noah. They were the last on his list to be called out.

Eli happened to take in the last name of _Moreno, _remembering that it's Imogen's last name…

"Genny, over here!" Noah yelled.

_Why must he start calling me that horrid name now? Jose gave me that name, and I hate it so much! _Imogen thought, annoyed. It was bad enough every other student starting calling her that at White Gold University including all her teachers, thanks to a certain Isabella.

Imogen turned to Noah and shot him a glare. "How about _you _come over here?" She suggested.

"But I wanna sit by my new friend, Eli!" Noah responded back, pointing to Eli. "Sit over here!" Imogen scowled with annoyance.

Of course. The only friend she had in this College is friends with her ex-boyfriend.

"Get. Your. Ass. Over. Here," She hissed, glaring at him twice as hard. Noah gulped as he scratched his head sheepishly.

"P-please?" He begged.

"_Oh well," _She heard Isabella sigh from next to Eli. Imogen turned towards her. A grin played on Isabella's lips. "No Genny or Noah, more room for me and Eli." Imogen's fists clenched at these words.

"And I suppose you'll be the one taking up most of the room with that huge ass of yours?" Imogen asked flatly.

Isabella blushed furiously at this, her face turning a bright red. "Just because you have no figure!" She hissed back, her eyes narrowing into Imogen's. "Not everybody is anorexic like you."

_Oh no she did not._

"I am not anorexic you ass," She hissed. "And that is offending. Anorexia is a serious disorder."

"Oh, you're not fooling anybody," Isabella whispered, "I see how you don't eat at that fancy restaurant, _Soul Silver, _and I've seen you without makeup on and you look even scarier without it on."

"Why don't you just high-five yourself in the face?" Imogen remarked.

"How about you go –"

"Girls!" Mr. Nieves yelled, forcing the two away from each other. He turned to the two with a disappointing look on his face. "No fighting in this classroom! Now both of you, get back to work!"

"Dang, I was hoping for a catfight," Noah whispered to Eli. "That way we could get out of doing this,"

"Hn." Eli grunted uninterestedly. He was watching the two girls, most specifically the brown-haired one, as they turned away from each other, both looking furious. Mr. Nieves watched them as they took a seat in front of their partner.

"Yes, you changed your mind! Now Eli can help me with this chemistry stuff since you're not good at it!" Noah exclaimed. He knew she was terrible at chemistry since the two gotten to know each other for a few days.

Isabella snickered from underneath her breath, beside her.

"He isn't your partner," She responded coldly, pulling on his ear. "Now pay attention to how much of that mixture you're putting in the beaker and maybe this time it won't blow up in your face."

"Owww!" Noah hissed, feeling her grip release from his ear.

Imogen turned to the worksheet Mr. Nieves had given them and read the instructions in her head.

"Hehehe, Oh Eli!" Imogen turned to Isabella who was flirting with Eli, batting her eyelashes and twirling a lock of her hair around with her finger. "You're so funny!"

Eli raised his eyebrow, but even so this was enough to cause a wave of jealousy to crash down on Imogen, jealousy boiling up inside of her. Annoyed, she turned back to the worksheet, trying to block out the sounds of Isabella's giggles but it was a complete fail.

"How many _naughty _things have you done in your life?" Isabella asked, giggling. "Since you're pretty hot, you seem like you –"

"Do you mind?" Imogen asked, glaring at her. "Some people are trying to work here,"

Isabella stuck her tongue out at her, acting so childish. Imogen just rolled her eyes at her childish attempt. "How about you go back to that tube of yours, maybe it'll make your hair sparkle, Genny!"

_THAT'S NOT MY FUCKING NAME! _She oh-so-desperately wanted to yell, but she knew better.

"Whatever," Imogen said. "Go back to flirting with your boyfriend, so you can flunk this class." Isabella smiled at this and flipped her hair behind her shoulder.

"She's not my girlfriend."

Eli's voice surprised Imogen and she dropped the pencil she was holding on the floor. She swore she just forgot how to breathe, and she struggled to inhale a fresh breath of air. When she managed to do so, she slowly turned to Eli.

_This is the first time we've talked since Prom…_

"Could have fooled me," She responded coldly. She bent down and grabbed her pencil off the floor.

"I don't have any girlfriends at the moment," Eli responded just as coldly back. Slowly, she turned towards him again. "Surprising," She said.

Isabella cleared her throat, turning the attention back to Eli. "So you don't have a girlfriend back home?" She asked, batting her eyelashes. Imogen's fists clenched from underneath the table. She just knew where this was heading.

An annoyed _"no" _was Eli's response.

"Really? So how about me and you go out for dinner tonight, at _Soul Silver?_" She asked, her hand reaching out to touch his on the table. His hand retreated at her touch, but she continued smiling and batting her eyelashes confidently.

She was asking him out.

_And Eli never says no, _Imogen thought. She turned away from the two and turned back to her worksheet. _He always gives them a chance and then he dumps them later. He never says no. And nobody ever says no to Isabella, I know that for a fact._

"I rather not," Eli responded coldly. It could have been her imagination, but she thought she saw Eli glance at her before he said this.

Imogen's head turned towards Eli, and Isabella blinked in shock, speechless.

"D-did you just say no?" She stuttered, her eyes wide in surprise. "Nobody _ever_ says no to me!" She exclaimed. _"Nobody! _What do you mean you'd _'rather not'? _Nobody ever turns me down!"

Imogen would have coughed and said _'I think he just did', _but in this case, she was equally shocked.

"Really?" Eli said, a smirk crossing his lips. "Because I believe I just said _no _to you. So apparently somebody _has _told you no." Isabella glared at him, her teeth clenched together.

"Why did you just say no?" Imogen questioned, demanding an answer from Eli.

Eli turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

She glared at him, her eyebrow twitching as the sudden urge to slap him came upon her. His words from Prom were still echoing in her ears, but she ignored the voices, forcing them to the back of her mind.

"Since when do _you _ever say no whenever somebody asks you out?" She questioned.

"Ugh," Isabella flipped her hair, "Stay out of this, Genny!"

"Excuse me?" Eli repeated.

Imogen was beginning to grow angrier by the second at him, and her hands clenched into fists on her sides. "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about! I know how you are!" She yelled.

"Actually, I'm not pretending." Eli responded coldly back. "Because I really don't have any idea of what the hell you're talking about. And as far as I know we just met, so I don't know how _you _could possibly know anything about me."

Rage filled through her veins at his words, and she swore her eyes must have been flames as she glared at Eli. _How dare he pretend he doesn't know who I am! How __**dare **__he pretend that what happened between us never existed!_

Noah dropped something into the beaker that caused an explosion at the same time she exploded at Eli.

_BOOM!_

"DON'T PRETEND YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM!" She screamed, and if it wasn't for Mr. Nieves who was thankfully close by at the time, she would have kicked Eli's face in until it looked like nothing but meatloaf.

"Your anger is explosive!" Mr. Nieves exclaimed, adjusting his glasses nervously. As Imogen began to calm down, Mr. Nieves released his grip from the brunette. Even so, she glared at Eli powerfully.

"I know who you are," Eli responded back, unfazed by her screaming. "Your name is Genny, isn't it? Genny Moreno?" He arched a fine eyebrow while Imogen's own eyebrow twitched.

_Genny Moreno? __**Genny **__Moreno? Seriously?_

Just then, a thought occurred to her. A voice began to whisper quietly to her inside her mind…

_What if he really doesn't know who I am? What if he just thinks I'm somebody who looks like Imogen? _That voice in her head queried. _Your hair is shorter. You wear different clothes now, and you wear darker makeup. You really don't look the same. And with everybody calling you Genny, he could think that's your real name._

It was then she realized that he was fooling nobody but himself.

_He really doesn't know it's me…_ she realized, a coldness settling over her.

xxx

_S__o he actually doesn't know it's me_, Imogen thought as she walked home with Bianca for a second day in a row.

She felt numb. Her mind felt numb. It felt numb with sorrow, with thoughtfulness, with cold realization. She wasn't sure whether to cry or whether to laugh. So in the end, she just stared at the pavement as she walked, a heavy and unusual silence hovering over her as she walked with Bianca.

She could hear the quiet steps of Eli and Noah right behind her and Bianca's steps right beside her as they walked. In New York City, people usually walk home from school since it was a big city.

Her mind was blank, and she felt as if she was made of stone.

"Are you okay?" Bianca whispered after a while, worried by the girl's unusual silence.

Sure, Imogen had changed a lot, mostly in her outer appearance, but she was still the same preppy, outgoing, confident girl she always was… It was rare for her to be so quiet. Usually the only time Imogen was this way was when she was thinking of Degrassi…

"I'm fine," she responded back.

She closed her eyes briefly, letting out a soft sigh, before opening them again.

"So you move like all the time?" Imogen heard Noah exclaim from behind them, obviously speaking to Eli. Another sigh escaped her lips, and she began to focus on glaring at the ground.

"Is this because of Dr. Doom?" Bianca asked her softly, making sure to keep her voice low so the two boys behind her couldn't hear her.

"Don't mention his name," Imogen whispered quietly back.

Bianca pursed her lips.

"Bianca?" Imogen asked. Her friend turned towards her. "Don't mention anything about _him_ being my ex to Noah…okay?" Bianca nodded. "Promise?"

She smiled. "Promise," Bianca declared, intertwining her pinkies with Imogen's.

"And…and can you not say my name when _he_'s around?"

Bianca raised an eyebrow at this one. "Why not?" She questioned.

"Just…don't. Call me…Genny, okay?" _Of course, she knew Eli didn't recognize her, and I know this is hurting her badly on the inside…_

"Fine," Bianca sighed.

"So you used to live in Toronto, Canada before you moved here? That's funny, Genny used to –"

Imogen's eyes widened. "NOAH!" She screamed, whipping around.

"Agh!" Noah jumped back, one hand over his ear, his eyes wide in surprise. "What did I do this time?" he shrieked. "Geezus! You always get mad at me for no reason!"

She was aware of Eli's eyes on her, and she was aware of the red blush burned into her face, but she ignored them both. "Quit gossiping like a little school girl, Noah!" she exclaimed.

Noah frowned. "You're crankier than usual…" he noted, scratching his head in confusion. Suddenly, he grinned, and he exclaimed, "Aha! You're jealous because I'm friends with Eli and you're not!" His grin widened. "Even you can't resist the charms of Eli, can you?"

She blinked in shock, her mouth gaped open. She glanced quickly at Eli through the corner of her eyes, then back at Noah, her face growing even redder in embarrassment. It felt as if her face was on fire.

"H-him?" she stammered, pointing to Eli without even looking at him. "What? You think I have a crush on him or something, Noah?" Her voice was high and squeaky, and she felt ready to explode. Ready to explode into tears or explode with anger, she wasn't sure.

Noah just smirked. "And you said all my other friends are lame; well, you're pretty lame now Miss Sparklepants, compared to Eli! Did you know, last year he went to that oh-so-amazing school called Degrassi?"

"Of course I knew that!" She snapped. "I was there!" She immediately stopped herself from continuing on with her sentence, remembering that she was pretending to be someone else. "O-oh wait! I-I mean, um –"

"Oh right! You went to that school last year!" Noah exclaimed.

"No! I was, uh –"

"You went to Degrassi?" Eli spoke up, surprised in his voice.

She spoke nervously, finally answering his question. "Yes, I did," She snapped, finally turning to face him. "And I loved that school so much!"

"If you loved that school so much, then why did you tell me you left before Graduation?" Noah queried.

_NOAH JUST SHUT UP – JUST GO! GAHHH! _She wanted to scream.

"You told me you left because you didn't want to deal with those bastards in your school, and now you're saying you loved Degrassi. Geez, make up your mind!"

Facepalm. _Eli must definitely know it's me now…_

"I…I…" She tried to think of an excuse, but couldn't find any. "I've said too much already." She finally said, turning away. She nudged Bianca. "Come on, let's go."

She could feel the tears burning her eyes, but she forced them back. No, she wasn't going to cry. Not right now. Not in front of them. She would wait until she was in her room, all alone, then she would…

"See you tomorrow, Bianca!" she called, forcing herself to grin. It felt as if hooks were forcing her lips to move and stay upwards as she waved goodbye to her friend.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Imo—! I mean… See you tomorrow, _Genny!_ Bye! Ciao!" Bianca yelled, entering her apartment room.

Imogen continued smiling until she walked next door to her apartment room. "Well…see you guys tomorrow," She murmured, entering her room before closing it. She sighed.

When her mom asked how her day was, she replied with a robotic "fine". She forced a smile onto her face until she reached her room. Then it dropped.

She walked into her bathroom, closed the door behind her, and turned to her mirror. She stared into the brown eyes of the girl staring back at her, her eyes rimmed with black eyeliner, her eyelids covered with black eye shadow. She ran a hand through her short brown locks that reached only to her chin and watched as the other girl did the same.

She didn't know this girl. She didn't recognize this girl. Yet, this girl was her. She was _this girl._ She was this girl who wore black eyeliner, dark makeup, goth and skater clothes, the girl with short brown hair, the girl everybody called _Genny._

And finally, the tears she had held in all day, fell.

Why didn't he realize she was really Imogen, not Genny? Did he forget her? What she looked like, who she was? Did he forget everything they once had? Was she really that easy to forget? Or did he really just not recognize her?

_I vowed to myself that if I ever saw you again, you wouldn't recognize me, _she thought. _I didn't think you really __**wouldn't**__ recognize me...I didn't think it would hurt this much to __**not**__ be recognized. _

And what was hurting her most was knowing that she knew who she was, but he thought she was simply someone else…

xxx

_**Coming from Eli's POV.**_

"Hey, did you write your poem for English yet?" Eli heard Bianca ask her brown-haired friend, Genny.

"Yeah, but it's short," she responded.

"Well, it doesn't have to be long. Dowell just said it had to be at least five sentences long. How long is your poem?"

"Five sentences," she replied, giving a short laugh.

Eli closed his eyes. Her laugh, Genny's laugh, it sounded so much like Imogen's laugh. High, cheery, feminine…her laugh was like listening to chimes, and Genny's was the same way.

He shook his head, shaking away his thoughts of Imogen.

"Can I read your poem?" Bianca questioned.

"Sure," she said, starting to dig through her backpack.

Noah scoffed. Eli turned to him.

They were arranged in stations. His station consisted of him, Noah, who sat right in front of him, Bianca, who sat to his right, and Genny, who sat diagonal from him, next to Noah and in front of Bianca. She was cheery and chatty to her friend Bianca, angry and rude to her friend Noah, and was cold and distant from him.

He remembered how Bianca used to be Imogen's best friend…now she's hanging out with Genny.

Genny obviously didn't like him. But then again, he didn't like her either. She reminded him too much of…

He shook his head again.

No, he was not going to think of her. He was not going to think of _Imogen. _He was not going to remind himself of how Imogen was as much as a coward as Julia. They may have had something between them in the past, but now that something was gone.

"Is there something you would like to say, Noah?" Genny's voice broke his train of thoughts and he glanced at her through the corner of his eyes.

Noah scoffed again. "Just that your poem is so cheesy. I mean, you obviously wrote about that ex-boyfriend of yours, Elliott, or whatever his name was. I mean, who writes about an ex-boyfriend?"

Genny turned several shades of pink and red at this remark.

"I-I did not!" she stammered. "Th-the poem doesn't even mention anything about a boyfriend or an ex!"

"It's called _reading between the lines_," Noah responded smugly back, smirking. "Here, read it yourself Eli—" He snatched the poem from her hands, earning an enraged "HEY!" from the brown-haired girl. "Isn't it cheesy, Eli?" He held the paper in front of his face.

Eli squinted as his began to focus on the print in front of him.

Gennys's Poem:

_Teenage Idiocy _–

_I loved you, you made me. Now you hate me. Save me. __It was my heart, my start, my life, your knife.__It hurts to remember how much I loved you.__I've lost it all and fell today. I've been abused, I feel so used, because of you. Sorry…you just never told me you loved me._

She snatched the poem back from Noah, crumbling the corner and nearly ripping it in half as she did so. She looked furious, her face a bright shade of bubblegum pink.

"It is not cheesy! Now mind your own business, Noah!" She spat.

"You know, whatever!" Noah exclaimed. "At least I have my poem done! You haven't even started yours Bianca!" At this Bianca sweat dropped and grinned, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

"Keep the noise down, Noah," Mr. Nieves called from the front of the room. "I'm trying to arrange partners for the science project you'll be working on for the next month."

"Aww man! Another project?" Noah whined.

Mr. Nieves narrowed his eyes at the blond-haired, amber-eyed boy and then, tucking his clipboard under his armpit, cleared his throat. "Okay, time to listen up again!" The class quieted down, and turned their attention to Mr. Nieves. "Okay, so everybody knows about the big metal project I've been talking about for the last week or so, right?"

"Right," maybe a third of the class mumbled back.

"Well, I'll be assigning your partners today, and your partner will be the person you work on this project with. The project will be due in about a month, and it will consist of a collage, a written report on the metal, and for anybody who wants extra credit, you can bring in some real life examples: like if you do your project on tin, you can bring in a tin can. Easy extra credit points. Of course, if you do your project on something like White Gold, it may be harder to bring something in, so pick wisely."

Genny raised her hand.

"Yes, what is it, Genny?" Mr. Nieves asked.

"Can we choose our partners?" She wondered, glancing hopefully at Bianca.

He shook his head. "Sorry, but no," he responded. "I'll be choosing your partners."

"Ugh," Bianca huffed.

"I hope I get paired with Eli," Noah exclaimed, beaming.

Genny narrowed her eyes at him. "Eli, Eli, Eli," she said, cringing her nose in disgust. "You always want to do your labs or projects with _him_."

"And you always want to do your labs and projects with _Bianca_," Eli sneered back, glaring at her. She met his glare easily.

Mr. Nieves started to count to himself. "Hmmm… seventeen girls and fifteen boys…" He mumbled thoughtfully. "Well, I guess two girls will have to get partnered up together!" He said, shrugging. "Okay, so everybody—or almost everybody, anyway—will be partnered up with somebody of the opposite sex!"

"Great, I'm going to be stuck with a girl…" Eli muttered.

Mr. Nieves narrowed his eyes at Eli and adjusted his glasses. "Is there something wrong with a girl being assigned your partner, Eli?"

"Nothing," He responded back. "It's just all girls are basically annoying. They're always shrieking and laughing, and when they're not doing that, they're gossiping and spreading rumors."

"Not all girls are like that," Genny spoke up, glaring at him.

"And whenever they're not gossiping, they're just whoring around," Eli continued, ignoring her. "Girls are weak and cowards anyway; whenever a problem comes up that they can't solve, they just run away from it."

"Asshole," Bianca exclaimed, standing up from where she was seated. "And losers like you won't even stand a chance to even let the girls talk."

"You're a sexist pig," Genny declared, and also stood up, leaning across the table until she was eye-level with Eli. Her fists were clenched on the table. Anger was pulsing from every angle of her, the anger directed only at him.

"And like boys are all perfect and everything?" She sneered. ", like boys don't make assumptions and mistakes?"

"I never said that," Eli responded calmly back, smirking. "Guys make mistakes; we're just not stupid enough to make the same mistakes twice."

"You know what, you stupid bastard—" she shrieked.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down!" Mr. Nieves exclaimed, sweat dropping.

"And this is why I would prefer not to work with a girl," Eli said, glaring. "All girls do is shriek and make you go deaf, or make you wish you _were_ deaf."

"Oh, that's only Genny!" Isabella called back. "I'm not like that _at all!_"

"Would you just shut up!" Genny hissed, turning her glare momentarily to Isabella and then back to him. "And this is why you would prefer not to work with a girl? This is why I would prefer not to work with a boy! Especially a stupid guy like you, who is all conceited, stuck up, and is a cold-hearted jerk!"

"Oh, I'm the cold-hearted jerk?" He sneered. "Look who's talking. If I'm a _cold-hearted jerk _then so are you. I didn't do anything to you, and yet you never liked me since the beginning."

"_You've never done anything to me?" _She shrieked, turning a bright shade of red. Her teeth clenched together, and glaring at him, she suddenly looked close to tears.

"No, I haven't. Not anything I'm aware of anyway," He responded coldly back.

Mr. Nieves sighed, irritated. "Would you two quit bickering already?"

"Oh, so you've done nothing to me?" She said, ignoring Mr. Nieves.

"No, I haven't." He growled. "Unless you would like to clue me in on how I wronged you?"

There was a long silence followed by another irritated sigh from Mr. Nieves.

"Since you two love fighting so much and have little tolerance for each other, I guess I'm just going to have to assign you two as partners. Maybe working together will help you two appreciate each other better, and I won't have to listen to you two fight for the rest of the year."

Genny whipped around to face Mr. Nieves, her eyes wide in shock. "What?" she exclaimed. "I-I'm partners with Eli?"

Mr. Nieves nodded. "Do you two have a problem with that? If you to refuse to work with each other, I could always give you an F on this project, and this project is worth ten percent of your final semester grade…"

"B-but…" She stuttered.

Eli glared at the table.

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you two have a problem with that?"

The two exchanged glances at each other before averting their gazes back to the table.

"Well?"

"I don't have a problem with that." Eli responded finally, sitting back down and crossing his arms.

"How about you, Genny?"

She stayed silent for a while, but then sighed.

"No… I don't have a problem with that, sir…" She sat down too, now glaring at the table.

"Good. Now," he cleared his throat again. "Now, more about the project: since you will have to finish a collage and a report all in a month, this project requires hard work from both partners and spending a lot of time together. I would suggest spending one to two hours each day or whenever possible down either yours or your partner's house, discussing the project together. This project will be the biggest and final grade on your semester grade and can greatly affect whether you fail or pass this class. You will also get a second project like this around the end of the year."

"Now, for partners…"

Eli muted out Mr. Nieves's voice as he started rambling out names of partners. He already knew who his partner was, so there was no need to pay any attention to what he was saying now.

He still couldn't believe he got stuck with Genny. Of all the girls he could have gotten stuck with, it was the one girl who hated him most in this school for reasons unknown to him. He should have just kept his mouth shut about girls being annoying.

"Ugh. I can't believe I got stuck with Bianca while Genny got partnered with Eli for fighting with him," He heard Isabella scoff to a friend of hers. "So unfair."

"Of course anytime there's a class where the girls outnumber the boys, I get stuck with another leftover girl." Isabella sighed. "Just what I need; being partnered up with some druggie."

"Excuse me little bitch?" Bianca spoke up, knowing she was directly talking about her.

"Haven't you heard?" Isabella asked, annoyed. "Everyone thinks you do drugs now because you look like you're _high_ all the time."

"Isabella, don't you have anything better to do than make up stuff that isn't even true?" Genny questioned the blonde, a sneer on her lips. "Bianca doesn't _do _drugs."

"You would know," Isabella sneered back. "I heard you got kicked out of your old school for trying to seduce a teacher."

"I didn't get kicked out," She responded icily back. "I left."

"_And if you're calling to see why my house is empty, it's because I moved. Yeah, you heard right. __**I moved. **__Now you have more crap to gossip about all day." _

"But you know what, Isabella," She said. "Believe whatever you want, and gossip as much as you want. It won't get you anywhere with your life. In the end, it'll probably ruin your life. And when it does, it will serve you right."

"…_And now that I'm gone, you're going to have to find someone else to gossip about so you can ruin their life too. Have fun doing it!"_

Eli tuned out the rest of the conversation, forcing out the images and memories of a certain brown-haired girl he used to know.

xxx

"_Hey, it's Imogen!"_

Imogen's voice. Eli had watched blankly as the phone rang and then went into voicemail, and he blinked dully as her voice, full of cheerfulness despite the harsh words escaping her mouth, filled the room, her voice now a loud buzz in his ear considering how many times he had replayed the message.

"…_And if you're calling to see why my house is empty, it's because I moved. Yeah, you heard right. __**I moved**_…_**"**_

Where did she move to? This was a question that always managed to creep back into Eli's mind, somehow, someway. But in the end, after thinking it over and giving himself a headache doing so, he told himself he didn't care. He didn't.

Him and Imogen, they were over. She had betrayed him. She said that she never cheated on him with Jose, but… he has been told lies before. So many, by so many girls. Those other girls, however, he didn't care about; it was Imogen he cared about, and now she was gone. She had ran away.

Just like Julia…

But like questions about his dead ex-girlfriend popped up every now and then in his head, he forced the queries about Imogen and where she went down, telling himself, convincing himself, that he didn't care to know the answers to all his questions.

"_Goodbye Degrassi, Forever."_

Eli shook his head, shaking away any lingering thoughts of his dead ex or Imogen as he threw his phone on the floor and laid his arm over his eyes. As he laid in bed he fell asleep, a brown-haired angel haunted his dreams…

**Author's Note: Spicy, oh-so-Spicy! Spice.**

**Oh Elijah Goldsworthy is soo in denial, like hello! He obviously got a load of hints from Mr. Noah Hartnett, and he still doesn't know it's Imogen? **_**He's **_**the pathetic one, not Imogen!**

**So let's make a deal here, you guys review and then I will give you guys a small spoiler in the next chapter? (; **

**You have to review unless you want that spoiler! BAHAHA.**


	11. Soul Silver

**Author's Note: Since I promised you guys I will give you a small spoiler, here's one: Eli's dead ex-girlfriend, Julia, and Mr. Jose DeSousa. (;**

**Since last chapter I had mentioned Julia towards the ending, you will learn something about her in these upcoming chapters…so stay on point! And continue reading this load of shit. ;D**

_**Continuing from Eli's POV**_

Everyone at White Gold University was now heading home.

Noah was already waiting for him when he made it to the front of the school. Genny and her friend, Bianca, were already beginning to walk to their apartment houses. Eli and the hyperactive blonde kept a few feet behind them as they walked while Noah chattered endlessly about whatever came to his mind.

Meanwhile, Eli nodded and occasionally, grunted, lost in his own thoughts as he kept his eyes on the figure of the familiar brown haired girl who was talking cheerfully to her friend about something having to do with contests.

He frowned.

Not only that she attended Degrassi like Imogen, but also had the same last name as her. Her laugh, like the soft sounds of chimes hitting each other, also sounded like Imogen's. Her voice was just like Imogen's too.

He found himself scowling at the sidewalk as he thought about all these simple, tiny things that reminded him of his brown-haired ex.

Why was he always reminded of her at just the tiniest things? How come he was reminded of her every time he saw Genny? Was it because she looked like Imogen? They looked like twins nearly. Genny could have been Imogen's rebellious twin for all he knew; that's how much they looked alike. But they had a lot more in common than just looks; they had many other similar things in common.

Like their laugh. Their smile. Their bubbly, outgoing personality (whenever Genny wasn't being moody over something he either did or _didn't_ do). Their friendliness towards other (excluding him and Isabella, who Genny pretty much despised). He was reminded of Imogen in so many things Genny did.

But while there were things that made them similar, there were just as many things that made them different from each other.

Genny, she was fiercer than Imogen. She also wasn't a queen bee like Imogen; she was just an average student with a darker side. While Imogen was the preppy, optimistic, the Silver metal who had everything going for her, it appeared obvious it wasn't all that easy for Genny. There were rumors about her… rumors that she was sick. She had a serious illness, a disorder, a disease, or something. There was a rumor she was anorexic. There were rumors that something happened to her that broke her spirit. A rumor that she used to be strong, even stronger than she was now, and then she used to be happy, but something happened to her that made her a ghost of the person she _used_ to be.

She was like the ghost of Imogen. Did she used to be like Imogen until something or someone broke her spirit? Or was that just another rumor and Genny had always been like this?

"Geez, you certainly like staring at Genny, Eli."

Noah's comment startled Eli from his previous thoughts, and shocked and slightly embarrassed, he averted his gaze away from the brown-haired girl.

"Who said I was staring at her?" Eli responded back.

Noah just shrugged. "Oh, so you were staring at Bianca?"

Eli scowled. "No."

"So you were staring at Genny?"

His scowl deepened. "No."

Noah frowned, then a smirk made his amber eyes glitter in the fading sunlight. "Oooh, you're lying, aren't you?" Noah said, laughing. "You're blushing, that's how I can tell. Do you have a crush on her or something? 'Cause if so, you should totally date her!"

"I don't have a crush on her," Eli snapped.

Noah continued on, oblivious to Eli's previous words, "I'm not sure if Genny would date you though if you _were_ to ask her out. She doesn't appear to like you much. Of course, she hasn't liked any boys ever since what happened to her a few months ago."

Eli sighed and just rolled his eyes.

"Aren't you going to ask what happened to her?" Noah asked, amber eyes bright.

He rolled his eyes again. "What happened to her?"

"Well, okay! You see, there was this boy she use to date and—"

"Eli."

His head snapped up and he mentally cursed himself as his eyes met Genny's. Again, he was reminded of Imogen as he gazed into those beautiful brown eyes that made him go crazy on the inside… the same shade of Imogen's. Sigh. He really was pathetic.

He was about to say Imogen's name, but he caught himself just in time.

"Genny."

She narrowed her eyes at him, and she was frowning as she crossed her arms tightly, almost protectively, against her chest.

"Okay, listen," she started curtly. "Since we got paired up for that stupid chemistry project together, I guess I'm going to have to tolerate you until we finish the project."

"And I'm going to have to tolerate you," He added coldly.

She glared at him, her frown tightening into a thin line.

"We'll go down your house to work on the project," She told him.

"And why can't we work on the project down your house?"

Her frown returned for a moment, but then it pursed into the same line as before.

"Because with Noah at my house, bothering you, we won't get anything done, that's why," She responded.

"Hey!" Noah exclaimed from beside him.

He considered this for a moment and then sighed.

"Fine. Down my house then." He agreed.

For a moment she smiled. It was a small smile, barely there, but still present on her face. No matter how small the smile was though, it made Eli's heart jump as he again was reminded of Imogen in the tiny things Genny did.

"Ugh, you ruined my story, Genny! I was just about to tell Eli about what happened to you and that one boy at Prom!" Noah told her, a pout on his lips.

Her smile vanished. Anger began to blaze in her eyes as she angrily turned to her childhood best friend, her short hair which only passed her shoulder by an inch or two whipping her back as she did so. Her teeth were bared in a snarl and her fists were clenched at her side. Her fist grabbed a handful of Noah's shirt as she brought his face close to hers.

Eli was slightly shocked by the sudden anger that erupted from Genny, and looking at Noah, he could see the fear present in his amber-colored eyes. A gulp was escaped from Noah followed by an "oh crap…"

"You will NOT tell Eli or _anybody_ what happened at Prom!" She shrieked, her eyes blazing. "Got that? If you tell anybody what happened, I will make sure you live to regret it!"

"B-but—" Noah stuttered weakly.

"_NOBODY!" _she shrieked again. "Especially not Eli! I don't care if he's your friend or not, you will not tell him or anybody! It's not anybody's business but mine anyway!"

Noah was quiet for what must have been the longest time in his life, Genny's anger leaving him speechless after her shriek attack in his ear.

"Got it?" She yelled again.

He nodded, shaking his head frantically.

"G-got it!" He squeaked.

Her eyes glared into his for a few seconds longer before she finally released her grip from his shirt. Noah backed up as soon as she did so and hid behind Eli.

"Gosh, what is her problem?" he exclaimed in a whisper, sounding annoyed now that he was free from Genny's grip.

Eli narrowed his eyes at Noah before returning his gaze back on Genny who whipped her head his way, meeting his eyes with a glare that warned him not to even try to get the story of whatever happened to her at Prom from Noah. He frowned in confusion for a moment.

"Isn't this your apartment house?" Genny questioned, still glaring at him icily, her thumb pointed towards the apartment room behind her. Eli turned to where her thumb was pointed and saw it was indeed his apartment house. He hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings and hadn't realized how far they already walked.

He gave a short nod.

"Then let's go and start that god damn project," Genny said with venom.

He scowled, annoyed by her bossiness. He walked up to his apartment house and glanced at the driveway and saw Bullfrog's car was gone which meant they were both out. He reached under the mat and unlocked the door.

Genny entered his house hesitantly, and she glanced around warily. He rose an eyebrow, but then shrugged it off.

He watched as she walked into the living room; she stood, clearly uncomfortable, in the middle of his living room as she took in the sights of his apartment house. She didn't seem all that impress, considering their apartment rooms look almost the same.

"You can sit down," Eli told her.

She turned to him for a second and then gently dropped her bag against a wall before hesitantly taking a seat on the edge of the black armchair that sat next to the coffee table in the middle of the living room.

"Okay…so now what?" She asked, avoiding eye contact with him.

He shrugged. "Let's discuss the project. Do you want to do the collage or the report?"

"The collage," She stated immediately.

"Okay," Eli said. "So what kind of gemstone do you want to do the project on?" He asked next.

"Diamonds," She said immediately.

He scowled. "Why diamonds?"

She glared at him. "Because diamonds are nice. Why? Do you want to do it on something else?"

"Actually, yes, I would," Eli said. "I think we should do the project on silver."

A look crossed Genny's face briefly, but then changed immediately into a look of annoyance. "Silver? Why silver? They are so overrated."

He glared at her for a second. "And diamonds isn't?"

"It's less overrated than silver," she responded coldly back. "Why, do you want to do the project on silver? Besides, that's a metal, not a gemstone."

His glare lingered on her for a second, but then he turned away and sighed. "Fine. We won't do the project on silver," He said. He turned sharply back to her. "But we're also not doing it on diamonds or gemstones either."

"Fine," She huffed, crossing her arms. "What are we doing our project on then? Gold? Platinum?"

Eli thought for a second.

"How about White Gold?"

She shrugged. "Fine. White Gold then – the name of our College, how original!" She exclaimed sarcastically.

Eli just rolled his eyes.

There was an awkward silence. Right when the silence was getting to be unbearable, Genny finally said something.

"So…" She said, still refusing to make eye contact with him. Eli turned to her, waiting for her to finish her sentence. "Um, so you used to live in Canada?" she asked, her voice sounding strangled as she forced out the question.

He nodded. "Yeah,"

He saw her peek at him through the corner of her eyes.

"Did you…like it there?" She questioned. Maybe it was his imagination, and it probably was, but she sounded almost hopeful.

He shrugged. "It was nice. Better than some places I've moved."

"Oh,"

Another silence,

"You move a lot?" She asked, finally turning to face him.

"Only because of my Dad's business," he responded. "His job requires a lot of moving around."

She looked at him, a thoughtful look present on her face. "Are you going to be moving again anytime soon?" She questioned, staring nervously at her hands.

"Probably not," He responded. "White Gold University will probably be the college I graduate at."

"Ah,"

More silence.

Eli glowered at the green rug, his hands shoved in his pocket as he leaned against the wall. Why are there so many of these silences? Why is it so hard to talk to her? Usually he couldn't even get girls to shut up when they were down his house; why was she so different? It was annoying.

"So…do you have a boyfriend?" He asked, breaking the silent treatment.

"Why?" She shot back immediately, glaring at him accusingly.

He turned towards her and raised an eyebrow. "Just curious,"

She was silent for a moment. "No, I don't have a boyfriend," she finally said. "I don't want a boyfriend. Guys are just jerks anyway."

"Not all guys are jerks," Eli told her, crossing his arms.

"You're a jerk."

He scowled. "You hardly even know me," He responded back. She just gave him a blank look, as if she could say otherwise.

"Guys are jerks," She stated again. "I would know."

"Maybe to you," He muttered. She stood up suddenly, and walked over to him. She glared up at him, her hands on her hips. He easily met her glare with a glare of his own.

"Guys like you are jerks," She started, her brown eyes flaring for a moment as her index finger angrily jabbed his chest. The small touch made Eli freeze. "Wanna know why?" She asked.

He unfroze. "No," he stated blandly.

She continued anyway. "Guys like you are jerks because you think you can just toy with a girl's heart whenever you want. Most of you don't know the meaning of the word _trust_. If a girl trusts you, you're supposed to trust them back. You can't just believe some stupid gossip over your girlfriend if only for the sake of saving yourself from looking stupid if the gossip is true. But guess what, that just makes jerks like you look like assholes."

Eli just blinked as if he was in shock. "Are you done yet?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Actually, forget everything I just said—"

"Easily done,"

"—because all that doesn't matters. What does matter is that jerks and assholes like you, no matter what you did, don't deserve any girl's heart."

"Are you getting somewhere with this?"

She was quiet for a moment.

"Actually, I am. Has a girl ever told you they loved you?"

Eli was quiet for a moment, memories from nights long ago flooding his mind. He saw Imogen, her beautiful brown eyed brunette he certainly remembered spending the night with in a cave, back at the beach. She repeatedly whispered the three words to him. He felt himself stiffen, a strange kind of coldness settling over him.

_"I love you, Elijah…"_

"Has a girl ever told you they loved you?" Genny repeated.

"What are you getting at?" He questioned, annoyed.

She stared intensely into his eyes line. "If a girl tells you they are in love with you, they mean it…" she whispered quietly. He frowned, suddenly aware of how close their bodies were.

Close enough to try and kiss…

"Eli, I'm home!" Bullfrog called.

Eli spun around, cursing, while Genny stumbled back, an embarrassing blush crossing her nose and cheeks.

"Eli, what are you—" Bullfrog stopped in the kitchen, his eyes wide as he spotted Genny. "Imogen?"

Facepalm.

"That's Genny, _not Imogen,_" He corrected his brother in a hiss, glaring at him.

Bullfrog turned to Genny and frowned, confusion evident in his eyes as he slid over her figure and took in her short brown hair, eyeliner rimmed eyes, and the long ash gray razorback top and ripped black skinny jeans she was wearing with silver flats. The brunette kept glancing nervously at his father and she was twiddling with her two index fingers.

"Oh…" Bullfrog mumbled as he indeed realized his mistake. He smiled apologetically at Genny. "Sorry about that! I just thought you were someone else."

"I-it's okay…" She muttered quietly back, her eyes glued to the floor as she began to twirl her hair around with her finger. She was frowning and her eyebrows were furrowed together.

There was a brief awkward silence.

"So, um, are you here to work on some project with Eli?" Bullfrog questioned, tilting his head to the side.

She nodded, pursing her lips together.

Eli raised an eyebrow at her. Why was she being so silent all of a sudden? Was she scared of his father or something?

"We're working on this science project together," Eli told Bullfrog. "It has to do with metals and stuff like that."

Bullfrog hummed in acknowledgement. "So are you staying for dinner Genny? There will be plenty of food to go around."

She shook her head. "No thanks. I'm not hungry."

"You sure? You may get hungry later while you're working on that metal project."

She shook her head again. "I think I'll be okay." She smiled kindly. "Thanks for the offer though."

Bullfrog just shrugged and entered the kitchen to work on dinner.

"You're never hungry, are you?" Eli asked blankly. Much to his surprise, she turned sharply toward him, glared at him for the longest moment, and then looked away, huffing.

He sighed, "Let's go in my room," Eli offered. "So we can have some peace and quiet."

"Okay…" She whispered, following him as he walked down the hall, and entered the second room on the left.

"You have this room?" She almost gasped as they entered his room. He nodded, turning towards her. "Yeah. Why?" She shook her head, almost as if shaking off something unpleasant.

"Um, no reason,"

"Anyway," He said, deciding to ignore Genny's odd behavior. "We should probably decide a schedule of when we should meet each other. Should we continue to meet each other every day after school like this?"

She shook her head. "No. We can't. I have to work tomorrow,"

"And? We can just meet up at my house for an hour every day. From four to five."

Genny scowled but nodded. "Okay, fine. We'll meet every school day after school and try to work on the project until five o'clock."

"Good." He said. "Now, what do you know about White Gold?"

"It can be used as a band for rings," She stated. "And… it's silver and goldish-colored, I think. It's a metal. Obviously. And it's malleable, ductile, et-cet-tera. And that's all I know."

Eli blinked, unimpressed. "Yeah, that'll get us far on the project." He snorted.

She glared at him. "Oh, so I take it you know more about White Gold than I do, huh?"

Eli was silent for a moment, stunned by how much he was reminded of Imogen with how she had questioned his own knowledge. She glared at him with eyes that were the beautiful shade of chocolate. She glared at him with Imogen's eyes. She glared at him with Imogen's chocolate brown eyes.

_No! Stop! _

_Stop thinking about her! _Eli commanded himself, a low growl rumbling in his throat. _Stop it right now! Genny does not have Imogen's eyes! She only has a similar shade of brown to Imogen's eyes! So stop comparing Genny to Imogen! Just stop it!_

"Eli?"

"What, Imogen?"

Eli flinched as he realized his mistake.

"You called me Imogen." she whispered, her eyes widening.

She didn't sound angry at the fact he got her name wrong; instead she sounded surprised, shocked.

"No, I didn't," He retorted back. "I called you Genny. That's your name, after all."

"No, you called me Imogen…" She responded softly back. There was a moment of pause, and then, with hesitance, she asked, "Who is this _Imogen_?"

"Nobody," He snapped. "She is nobody. It doesn't matter who she is."

She frowned, and although it was probably just his imagination, a hallucination caused by his frustration and confusion, she looked slightly hurt by his words.

"Your father called me Imogen too…" She pointed out quietly. ", and then you called me Imogen. She must be somebody. Your father looked shocked when he saw me, when he thought I was Imogen."

"You think too much into things." Eli told her, glaring at the floor. "I think you should go now."

"What?" Her mouth gaped open in shock.

"I said," Eli repeated, his frustrations growing. "I think you should go now," When she said nothing, he continued. "It's getting late. You should go home before it gets too dark out."

She remained silent. Eli glanced at her through the corner of his eyes and saw that she was staring at her hand, a distant look in her eyes, as if she was remembering something or reliving a memory in her head. Her fingers began to curl into fists, shaking slightly, as a look of anger and hurt crossed her face.

"Genny?"

Her head snapped up, the anger and hurt vanishing immediately from her face. Her fist quickly unclenched and fell to her side. She blinked, startled, before quickly recomposing herself and allowing a look of annoyance to cross her face.

"Okay, fine, I'll go now," She snapped, quickly picking up her bag and swinging it over her shoulder. "Not like I don't have better things to be doing right now at my apartment house anyway then wasting my time with you," she growled. She slammed the door to his room.

Eli frowned after her.

What has gotten into her? He only told her she should go before it got took dark out. She didn't have to be such a drama queen about it. And what was with her clenching her fist a minute ago? Was she remembering some bad memory of hers or something?

Eli shook his head, deciding not to worry about it.

Not like it was his problem anyway.

Even so, something continued to nag at him; something deep inside of him that told him it was _his_ problem.

xxx

"_Who is this Imogen?"_

"_She is nobody. It doesn't matter who she is."_

…

"_Genny?"_

_Imogen's face looked up at him, a string of her clinging to her forehead as watery brown eyes glared up at him. She was wearing the exact same dress she wore at prom._

_Eli blinked and the girl in front of him had short brown locks again with black eyeliner rimming her eyes._

"_You will NOT tell Eli or anybody what happened at Prom!" _

_She wasn't looking at him._

"_NOBODY!" she shrieked again. "Especially not Eli! I don't care if he's your friend or not, you will not tell him or anybody! It's not anybody's business but mine anyway!"_

_The light flickered, a moment of darkness cloaking the dimly-lit room, and Imogen stood in front of him again._

_This time he glared, but not at her, at the floor; his fists clenched at his side as frustration and confusion welled up inside of him, threatening to overwhelm him._

_A voice whispered in his ear:_

"_She's cheating on you, Eli."_

_The light flickered again and Genny was glaring at him again, her hands on her hips._

"_Has a girl ever told you they loved you?" _

_The light flickered again and he saw Imogen standing all alone, her eyes closed as tears streamed down her cheeks, her fists clenched where her heart was beating beneath her Prom dress. _

"_I love you, Elijah…"_

_He faintly heard Genny's voice again._

"_If a girl tells you they are in love with you, they mean it…" _

_The light flickered and he saw both girls. Genny stood facing him, tall and proud, dressed in a black dress with a black veil concealing her face, while Imogen laid on the floor, like a rose with a broken stem, once so beautiful, but now broken and defeated._

"_She's cheating on you, Eli."_

_A voice whispered the words in his ears again. The same words he heard almost every day since they started dating; the same words that everybody told him at least once in every period he had back in Degrassi; the same words he must have heard at least a thousand times a day, whether the words were told to his face or to his back._

"_She's cheating on you, Eli."_

_When you hear these words enough times a day, you start to believe them, whether you want to believe them or not…_

"_Do you even understand the difference from the words 'I love you' and 'I'm in love with you'?"_

_She had told Eli and Jose she "loves" them…but when she said his full name…_

"_I love you, Elijah..."_

_She probably really didn't love Jose in that way…_

_The two girls faded into nothing, but not before turning their identical brown eyes sharply to him._

xxx

The next morning dark storm clouds hovered over New York, blocking the sun's rays from reaching the small town. Small droplets of rain sprinkled down from the sky all day long, and by the time school got out, rain was pouring from the sky and to the earth in a steady beat.

While the girls in front of him, Bianca and Genny, both had umbrellas hovering over their heads – Bianca's a light blue, Genny's a dark pink (a very girly color for someone who wore mostly black) – and Noah walked beside him using a binder to shield his head, he cherished the feeling of the rain soaking into his clothes. He didn't mind the rain one bit or the wet clothes, despite the temperature having to be close to the fifties or forties. And he didn't mind the numbness that came with being soaked to the bone with rain. He was already numb anyway.

Genny waited for him by his apartment door, frowning as she saw him.

"You're going to get sick." She told him. He just shrugged. Her frown only deepened, and he saw her bite her lip as her eyes diverted to his wet figure to the ground and back to him.

He reached underneath the mat again to grab the spare key and then unlocked the door. He entered after Genny, closing the door behind him. Water dripped onto the floor and mud scraped off their shoes and onto the rug. Eli just shrugged at this though.

Bullfrog wouldn't mind, _hopefully._

"Okay," He started, grabbing his science book. "So, do you know what—"

"Aren't you going to dry off?" She interrupted.

"No."

"You're going to get sick," She repeated. "You should go dry off."

A scowled graced Eli's features. "Why do you care if I get sick?" He shot back.

She was silent after this. Finally, she sighed.

"I don't need a reason to care, okay?" she sighed. "Just get dressed into new clothes at least. It's like winter out and you're soaked. Maybe you want to get sick, but I don't. I would like to stay healthy."

Eli glared at her for a second but then walked up to his bedroom, deciding there was no point in arguing with her.

_Or maybe he just couldn't argue with her. _

If it would make her happy and shut up, then fine, he would change his clothes.

_Maybe he just wanted to make her happy._

About ten minutes later he exited his room in fresh, dry clothes. Genny smiled when she saw he actually took her advice and changed. Eli's heart skipped a beat at this smile, and unconsciously, he ran a hand through his dark brown hair.

"So have you figured out how you're going to do your collage?" Eli questioned gruffly, trying to cover up how uncomfortable he felt.

"Eh, not really," She responded. "I mean, how are you supposed to do a collage on a single metal? All I know about White Gold is that it's malleable and ductile – whatever those mean. And I only know that because I looked up the word in the dictionary on my computer. Oh, and I also know it's a transition metal."

"Malleable and ductile means the same thing pretty much," He said coolly. "It means they can be molded without breaking."

"Well, anyway," She said. "I was thinking that for examples we could have pictures that show it is malleable, ductile, and resistant to heat and chemicals."

Eli raised an eyebrow. "How would we do that?"

"You said malleable and ductile means being able to be molded without breaking, right? Well, we could show a picture of something that is being molded and isn't breaking. And we can show a picture of something that isn't being damaged by heat."

"Like?" He pressed.

"Like…" She frowned. ", like something. I don't know. I'll figure something out. We should just have a picture on the collage that shows that White Gold is malleable."

"So, do you know what you're going to write about yet?" she questioned as she pulled out a piece of paper from her backpack.

"No." He answered honestly.

She examined the paper in front of her. "The sheet he gave us for this project says you have to write a detailed full-page paper on our metal, and we have to use another full-page or more writing about something that is like metal and how it's traits or whatever relates to White Gold."

"How do we do that?" Eli asked, scowling.

"Okay, so you know how last year we—" She stopped, freezing suddenly. She shook her head, and quickly recovered herself. "What I think he means is we sort of have to compare it to something," she explained. "Like how does this person's trait relate to one of the characteristics White Gold has? Say, maybe she's malleable, or 'can bend without breaking' because she can change herself with no problem. Or perhaps she is resistant to heat because she is good in heated situations, like when there's a rumor going around about her. You know what I mean, right?"

Eli nodded, finally understanding. "I get what you mean. I had to do something like this in my English class last year." He said, his voice dropping low.

Genny nodded, her brown eyes turning to the clock real quick.

"I'm going to have to go soon," She told him after a moment.

He raised an eyebrow. "You just got here though," He pointed out. "It hasn't even been an hour yet."

She sighed, sounding annoyed. "Yeah, I know. It's just I have to go to my _job_ soon. Remember I mentioned that to you yesterday?"

Now that he thought about it, he did faintly recall her mention something about a job…

"Oh yeah…you work at Soul Silver." He breathed.

"I…I should go now. I just remembered I left my work clothes at my apartment room, and I need to change into them before I go to work. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess."

Eli frowned after her.

_What's with her, acting all weird and skittish?_

He watched as she exited his apartment, gently closing the door behind her. Glancing around the window he saw that the rain had come to a halt for the moment. He saw Genny in the distant, spraying up water as she ran towards inside the apartment building, heading to her apartment room which was a few floors up.

His frown deepened.

Why is she so strange? And what is with her always rushing out of his house?

She was just one mystery after another. She had been a mystery since day one; since the moment he met her. It was almost as if she was scared of something, or as if she was trying to keep a secret from him and everybody. Always so skeptic and secretive, always getting mad over the tiniest things.

_As if she is trying to hide who she really is, or trying to cover herself up somehow, _Eli thought to himself. Her figure disappeared as she entered her house just a few blocks away. _Almost as if…she wasn't who everybody thought she was. _

_As if she is someone else completely… _A voice whispered inside his head.

An image of Imogen appeared in his head followed by the contrasting image of Genny. He shook his head, shaking away both images.

_No. Impossible. She's not Imogen._

**Author's Note: The next chapter contains Jose and Imogen, and it is pretty spicy with these two! (; **

**This chapter obviously shows the emotions of how Eli is feeling towards Imogen…or Genny; he keeps being reminded of Imogen but obviously he's in denial, and **_**Genny **_**really is Imogen.**

**By the way, CeCe is nowhere to be found in that apartment house with Eli and Bullfrog…hmm, where'd she go? I know where she is…but you guys don't. (;**

**You'll find out later.**


	12. Heart Gold

**Author's Note: I seem to be updating really, really fast! The only reason I'm updating a load of chapters at once is because I'm time limited from using a laptop…which means I won't be able to get on a laptop/computer in a while so, I decided to update 3 chapters for you guys. (:**

**This chapter contains some spicy as shit! **

**By the way, this chapter is long as hell, it's like 7,000+ words. So leave me some great feedback! :D**

**And one more question; Are you Team Imogeli or Imose?**

"Here's your food," The brunette said, handing the customers their plates as she exchanged glances from the people sitting at the table. "If you need anything, just call for me!" With that, she turned around, walking to get another tray full of drinks for the other customers.

She sweat dropped as she walked over to another table which consisted of only two people. She sighed in relief, handing the drinks to the man and woman. "There you go," She said with a smile. "Have you guys figured out what you would like to order yet?"

The man nodded in approval. "We would like a cheeseburger with fries,"

"Is that all you want?" Imogen questioned in confirmation.

"Yes,"

Imogen just smiled, writing the order down on the notepad. "Your order will be ready in a few minutes!"

"Thanks Ms.!"

Imogen smiled as she walked away, noticing Jose running inside the restaurant as if he was in a hurry.

"Imogen!" He called, finally reaching the brunette. He was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath.

How long has he been running?

"You're sure in a hurry," Imogen laughed, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I wanna take you somewhere," He said, regaining his breath as he fixed his Yankees hat on his head neatly.

"Sure, but after I work," She said.

He shook his head "No! I wanna take you _now._"

"I can't go now!" Imogen hissed. "I'm working!"

"So what! Your boss can't get mad at you if you miss out on one damn day." Jose exclaimed.

Jose just rolled his eyes, looking around the restaurant. "Where's your boss?"

"No! You're not going to talk him into letting me off for today!" She hissed.

"You're not gonna die," He replied, walking past the brunette, noticing a man looking around his thirties. He sauntered over to the man, tapping him on the shoulder. "Excuse me?"

The man eyed the boy, raising an eyebrow. "How can I help you young man?"

"Are you Imogen's boss?"

The man nodded in approval. "Yes, why?"

"I was wondering if you can let her off from work for the rest of the day? I really want to take her somewhere before the sun goes down."

"Is this something important? Or are you trying to win her heart by taking her to some place that's romantic?"

Jose just sighed. "Yeah, yeah…I guess you can put it that way."

The man smiled, patting his shoulder. "Fine, only for today!"

Jose's eyes lit up as a small smile rose from his lips. "Cool!" He said, walking back over to the brunette.

"Come on, let's go!" He beamed, grabbing the silver tray from her hands, placing it on the nearest table.

"B-but –!"

"Let's go!" Jose yelled over her voice, grabbing her hand as he ran outside of Soul Silver, reaching his mother's car.

"Since when does Fern let you use her car?" Imogen questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Since today!" He yelled, pulling her inside the car before starting the ignition, beginning to drive.

Imogen just sighed, laying her head back on the head rest. "Where are you taking me?"

It was silent for just a few seconds.

"You'll see…" He breathed.

Imogen raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what he had in mind.

As minutes passed, Imogen discovered a load of airplanes, and helicopters just nearby the parachute storage room. She raised an eyebrow, turning to Jose with confusion. "Why are we here?" She wondered.

"Because," He replied, exiting out of the car. He walked around the car, opening the door for the brunette.

Imogen just sighed, exiting out of the car.

"We're going on a Helicopter ride."

Imogen's eyes widened. "Are you crazy!" She hissed in a heartbeat. "You just joined the army and you're talking about taking me on a Helicopter ride? We could die!"

"Chill out, I know how to fly airplanes and helicopters." He exclaimed. "I've been training."

"Fine," She said, annoyed, grabbing his collar as she pulled his face closer to hers. "Let's see what you can do," She let go of his collar, walking passed him as a small smirk played on Jose's lips.

xxx

The clouds were scattered across the sky, a smile placed on Imogen's lips. She noticed how high they were in the sky, noticing it looked orange, which meant the sun was setting. She was sitting behind Jose, her arms around his stomach as she held onto him tightly. She had her chin resting on his shoulder, giggling to herself.

"This is amazing, Jose." She said.

Jose just smiled, keeping his hand placed on the wheel to control the helicopter's movements.

"If we die today, I'm going to kill you." Imogen warned.

"How can you kill me if I will already be dead?" He joked.

Imogen just rolled her eyes, taking in his scent. The cologne he was wearing was driving her crazy on the inside.

Imogen just sighed, closing her eyes shut as she enjoyed this wonderful adventure. No boy had ever taken her on a helicopter ride. She felt like she was on a date with Jose and she didn't even realize it.

Was she really on a date with him?

They're just friends and they both knew that. Besides, they haven't done anything together in a while.

Imogen just smiled throughout the whole ride, enjoying this adventure.

xxx

He chased after her into the storage room, discovering a load of white see through curtains just hanging from the ceiling. She giggled lightly, running back over to him as she grabbed his Yankees hat.

"Need this?" She beamed, running off into the white curtains with his hat.

"Hey!" He shouted, running after the brunette.

"Catch me if you can, Jose!" Imogen declared, running to the next white curtain beside her.

Jose just shoved through all of the white curtains, finally reaching the brunette. Imogen screamed in surprise, giggling afterwards.

He grabbed his hat from her hands, laughing along with her without speaking a word. Imogen soon stopped laughing as seconds passed, realizing how close their bodies were. She gulped nervously, staring into his eyes.

Jose stared back into hers, as seconds passed he took one step closer to her. He slowly placed his palm against her neck, slowly moving his face closer to hers.

_Oh my god! _She thought.

She took notice of him leaning in, but she was unable to move away since she was lost in his eyes.

He exchanged glances from her eyes to her lips, finally coming in contact with her own lips. His lips brushed hers gently; he was feeling her hot breath over his lips. He soon took her lips in his as seconds flew by.

Imogen's eyes snapped shut as she felt her own best friend's lips in contact with hers. He moved his lips over hers, kissing her passionately. She didn't know but her lips were moving over his as well.

Why was she letting him kiss her?

Her heart was beating repulsively; it felt as if she was feeling something for him. A different feeling she had never felt before…

She felt his hands glide down her arms, reaching her legs as he pulled her up against him, wrapping her legs around his waist.

She wrapped her arms around his neck quickly, scared to fall.

Their lips were still in contact, and it felt so wonderful. It was like fire in the kiss along with electricity and water to make something…unbelievable…

"_I love you, Jose."_

Images replayed on the brunette's mind as she kept her lips in contact with Jose's.

No…she vowed to herself that she doesn't love him that way. She loves him like a friend.

He bent down to the floor covered in white curtains that had fallen from the ceiling, laying her down on one. His body was hovering over hers as he continued to kiss her passionately. His lips departed from hers as he kissed down her jawline, finally reaching her neck.

A small moan escaped Imogen's lips and this shocked her herself.

Why was she letting him do this?

"_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said, "I'll never let you go,"_

He brought his face back up to hers, kissing her once more. She ran her hands down his back, beginning to pull up his shirt. He pulled off his shirt for her, tossing it to the side.

"_When all those shadows almost killed your light,"_

The two were shredded from their clothes as minutes passed, tangled in each other.

She felt him making love to her, thrusting in her in slow movements. He placed soft kisses along her neck as he did so. Imogen couldn't help but moan at every moment.

Why were they making love?

She wanted to mentally slap herself for letting this moment happen.

She doesn't feel anything for him! And since when did he develop feelings for _her?_

"_I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone"_

More images occurred into her mind.

"_You look at him like…he saved your life."_

"_I don't like him that way, he's just a friend."_

"_He's more than a friend to you…"_

It was like…as if…he was sad about her being interested in Eli.

"_But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight.."_

"_What's going on with you and Jose?" _Bianca.

"_He's been avoiding me since History class…he gotten mad at me and I have no idea why."_

It was like…he was upset because she wasn't interested in him…

"_Just close your eyes..the sun is going down.."_

"_Why are you treating me like…I've betrayed you?"_

"_I don't know. But I guess you're too stupid to realize why exactly you're being treated this way."_

She was being treated that way because…she never noticed his true feelings for her…

"_Jose DeSousa is talking to me now?"_

"_I can't stay mad at you forever, Immy."_

"_What made you change your mind?"_

"_Being upset with you over something very stupid made me realize…do I want to risk losing an amazing friendship?"_

It was like he knew she didn't know about his true feelings for her…and he didn't want anything to change between them…

"_You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now.."_

"_I love you, Jose."_

She remembered saying it in a friendly way.

"_I'm in love with Eli, and I would never intend on telling you the same."_

She remembered him walking out of the gazebo after hearing those words, as if he was hurting on the inside. As if he…wanted her to truly fall for him when he had his chance…

She replayed those four words she told him before.

"_I love you, Jose."_

"_Come morning light. You and I'll be safe and sound..."_

Of course, she didn't mean it any other way, but as she thought hard about it, right at this moment…tangled in his arms…she was slowly beginning to fall in love with him.

xxx

She sighed nervously, remembering the previous night.

Jose and her kissing…

His hands roaming around her body…

Him making love to her…

This all felt so weird to her and all she could think about were the rumors spreading from the Degrassi halls.

"_Imogen is cheating on Eli with Jose!"_

"_I can't believe you actually think I'm cheating on you! Are you serious right now?"_

"_I don't even have feelings for Jose that way! Jose doesn't even have feelings for me either!"_

She felt as if she really was cheating on Eli now…and they're not even together anymore. He believed she was _Genny, _a whole different person.

She just didn't feel right…she was feeling very uncomfortable after what happened the previous night…

She stared at the front door in front of her, sighing nervously from underneath her breath. She wanted to finish working on the project with Eli.

Plus, there were a few things she wanted to ask Eli…or Bullfrog…if she ever worked up the nerve to ask either of them.

She began knocking on the door, hearing footsteps approaching the door. The door opened in front of her, revealing Bullfrog who was currently wearing a black apron. He looked surprised to see her.

"Genny!"

She blushed as he said her _name, _feeling ashamed somewhat even Eli's father thought she was someone who she wasn't.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned.

"Oh, and come on in! It must be freezing out there!" He stepped aside, allowing her to enter the apartment house.

"Thanks," She chirped. "And I was um…here to see Eli? You know, so we can work on our science project some more? We haven't really gotten too far on it, so…yeah…"

"Well, Eli's in the shower right now but I'm sure he'll be out soon," Bullfrog told her. She was suddenly aware of the sound of the shower running from another room. "Until then, make yourself comfortable.

_Meanwhile.._

"I think Imogen and I are finally together." Jose exclaimed, a smile forming upon his lips as he turned to his curly haired sister.

Bianca pursed her eyebrows together. "Like I would believe that," She replied, rolling her eyes uninterestedly.

Jose just sighed, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "I really think we are together though…"

"You have liked Imogen for all these years and we _both _know you two are never getting together. You know she doesn't have feelings for you that way, Jose."

"Then why did we have sex last night in the parachute storage room?" He questioned, turning to her.

Bianca's eyes widened in surprise as she placed her hand over her mouth. She was shocked by this new information being thrown at her. "No way…"

"It's true," He said, locking his eyes on hers.

"She let me kiss her, make love to her…she let me do so much last night…I'm in love with her."

"Did you not forget that Eli lives here? She's obviously still in love with him." Bianca hissed.

"That's impossible. You saw how he took her heart and tore it apart at Prom." He retorted.

"She still loves him! You would only realize that if you were ever around. You're always too busy working in the army, training for some shit!"

"I haven't even seen Emo dude since Prom," He replied.

"I'm sure he wouldn't even want to see you anyway," Bianca snapped, rolling her eyes once more.

"How do you know she still loves him?" He questioned, changing the subject.

"Eli is in denial, he doesn't even recognize Imogen at all. He believes she's _Genny._" Bianca exclaimed.

"I used to call her that when we were little…" Jose muttered, looking elsewhere.

Bianca just sighed, continuing to speak. "Imogen obviously changed into a goth and depressing girl because she didn't want him to recognize her. And guess what? He really doesn't recognize her."

"I can see it in her eyes that she's breaking down on the inside, just because he doesn't know it's her."

"She obviously wants him to recognize her and every time she looks at him…I can see it in her eyes that she's still in love with him."

Jose sighed, looking down at his hands. "So what are you trying to say?"

Bianca sighed, staying silent for a few seconds. "…let her go,"

He returned his gaze on his sister, pain building up in his chest.

"If you truly love her, you'll let her go." Bianca exclaimed, a frown forming on her face. She knew her brother was hurting badly on the inside…

He buried his face into his hands, tears beginning to form in his eyes, threatening to fall from them.

He felt so weak, so in love with Imogen, but he knew she was right. If he truly loves her, he'll let her go.

Tears slowly fell from his eyes, falling into his palms.

His heart was breaking because he knew he couldn't be with the person he loves, no matter how hard he tried…

Bianca scooted over to him, wrapping her arms around him in comfort.

xxx

She took a seat on one of the stools in the kitchen, folding her hands nervously in her lap. Her chest leaning against the cold marble counter as she watched Bullfrog take out some pots and pans. Apparently, he was planning on making something.

"Also, sorry if Eli does or say anything that may offend you." Bullfrog told her. She tilted her head at him in confusion.

"He's been through a lot. The last few months hasn't exactly been easy for him either. For some reason, she got the feeling that Bullfrog was going to add _'especially with you around,' _at the end of that last sentence. She wouldn't have blamed Bullfrog if he did either. After all, she looks a lot like Eli's ex-girlfriend. (and that's because she is Eli's ex-girlfriend).

"I imagine," She said, trying not to be rude or anything. "Um, is it because of his move here?" She knew it wasn't because he moved here. Eli had moved several times before. He was used to moving. So why would he be upset about leaving Canada and going to New York anyway?

Bullfrog shook his head. "Not really. See, we move all the time, so he's used to it by now. All of us are used to it. It's just…well, it's this girl."

Imogen's ear perked up at the word _girl._

"He's…having girl troubles?" She asked slowly, looking up at Bullfrog. Had she heard right? Was this about her? It must have been.

Bullfrog nodded. He said nothing more about it though as he began to wash his hands. "Would you mind if I asked you a question?" She asked him. "It-it was just something I was curious about…"

"Sure," Bullfrog said. "Go ahead, I don't mind."

"Okay…so, um, who is this Imogen?" She asked, trying to sound as casual as she could.

Bullfrog turned around, giving her an odd look. Her face reddened as the blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Y-you thought I was this Imogen girl when I first came here?" She stammered, clarifying.

"An-and Eli called me the name by accident one time…and Eli, he seems sort of…I-I was just curious…" She looked away sheepishly.

Bullfrog nodded in understanding, still frowning somewhat. He turned away from her, walking over to the fridge and reaching in to pull out some vegetables and other ingredients for the dinner he would be cooking.

"So, um, do you mind telling me who she is?" She asked after a minute of silence.

What would Bullfrog say about her? Would he have good things to say about her, or only bad considering she was the girlfriend who supposedly _cheated _on his son? She bit her lip anxiously, and soon enough the salty tang of blood began to fill in her mouth. She licked her lip, her cheeks heating up some.

"Oh yeah…Imogen…" Bullfrog hesitated, his frown deepening as he turned once more to look at her. She froze. Did he suspect something? She breathed a sigh of relief when he continued. "She was Eli's last girlfriend…his longest lasting girlfriend…"

"Was?" She queried innocently.

"She's his ex now."

"Oh." There was a moment of silence. "So they broke up, huh?" She said.

Bullfrog nodded. "A shame too. She really was a sweet girl. I honestly thought she could have been the one for him. They just seemed so right for each other."

"So what happened between them?" She asked then quickly added, "If you don't mind telling me. I don't mean to be snoopy; I'm just sort of curious about this."

"She cheated on him." Bullfrog responded simply, starting to dice some carrots he took out.

Imogen felt her fist clench and already she could feel tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Oh…well…that must…suck." She forced her voice to remain steady; she forced herself to breathe in and out.

Bullfrog stopped his dicing for a moment to look at her. "She looked a lot like you,"

He told her. "Brown hair, the same shade as yours; only hers was longer. And she also had the same pair of brown eyes."

"Weird…" She mumbled.

Bullfrog nodded and then turned back to the carrots he was dicing.

"So how did Eli take the break up?" She asked, this time out of real curiosity.

"He tries to seem indifferent about it," Bullfrog responded. "As if he doesn't care that they're over, or that she cheated on him…" She frowned, and she began blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes once more.

"But I know he does care. He keeps himself well-guarded, but I've been his father now for eighteen years, and I can tell when something's bothering him. And I can tell that he is reminded of her every time he looks at you…and it hurts him…"

A lump began to grow in the back of Imogen's throat, truly taken off guard by this statement. She was unaware of the silence that filled the room when the shower turned off. The sound of her heart pouncing against her chest was all she could her aside from Bullfrog's voice.

Suddenly, Bullfrog turned back around, and his green eyes, the same as Eli's, began to bore into hers. "It may be hard to believe with Eli being Eli and all, but even he has a heart and even _he _can get hurt." Bullfrog told her.

"And in Eli's case, his weakness was the one person he loved."

Imogen's heart jumped at those words, for a moment her head spun, dizzy with shock. "L-love?" She croaked. Was he talking about her?

She felt faint suddenly, and she was positive it wasn't because the only thing she had that day was two drinks of Red Bull and half of a serving of chicken salad. She held onto the cool marble counter to make sure she wouldn't fall off the stool.

Bullfrog's eyes continued to bore into hers. "I truly believe Eli loved her." He told her. "And I believe he still does. But I don't want him to get hurt again. I don't want anyone to get hurt again."

Imogen just remained quiet, her mouth dry as Bullfrog's words sunk into her brain.

Finally, she spoke, "I…I'm sorry for what happened to him…" She told him, her words sounding like a jumbled mess to her as she spoke. "That must have been terrible…finding out his girlfriend was cheating on him…" _Even though she never was…_

Bullfrog just smiled, chuckling to himself.

Just at that moment, she heard a door open, and a few moments later, she saw Eli's surprised face at the end of the hallway.

"Genny?" He said. He turned to his father. "What is she doing here?" He asked him, crossing his arms.

"I'm here to work on our project, so we don't get behind on it." She told him quickly her voice the softest he had ever heard – for once not loud and full of anger for something he said or did, she knew he was surprised too by the way his arms fell to his side and he blinked.

She smiled at him; it was forced smile though. She wondered if he could tell it was forced or not, he still looked surprised.

"Let's go in my room then," he said after a moment of hesitation.

"Okay," She agreed, starting up the staircase. He followed behind her, and she could tell he was watching her suspiciously. She tried her best not to feel uneasy under his gaze, but after what Bullfrog just told her, it was hard not to feel uneasy.

As soon as the door shut behind them, he turned to her. "Okay, what's with you?" he demanded immediately. She blinked innocently, forcing herself to smile even wider

"Nothing," She answered, trying to ignore the way it felt as if her heart was pounding against her chest, and how it still felt as if she had swallowed a tennis ball.

It was obvious Eli still didn't believe her.

Casually she turned her gaze elsewhere, acting as if she was surveying his room, although she had been in his neat-as-ever room many times before where there was never really much to look at. She couldn't bear to meet his gaze.

"Genny,"

_Don't call me that, _She thought.

She turned to him. "Yeah?" Before he could reply, she interrupted him. "So are we going to work on the project or not, hmm? We're sort of behind you know. We haven't really done much."

"I worked on my report last night," Eli responded flatly, shoving his hands in his pockets. At this casual move, she suddenly realized he still had the exact same jacket from last year. "I'm more than half way done with it."

"Oh…well, that's good!" She told him cheerfully, her smile broadening. She saw Eli's jaw clench together at her cheerful exclamation, his fist clenching together at his side.

"Would you quit doing that!" he hissed.

She frowned. "Doing what?"

He glared at her but remained silent. Then Imogen understood what he meant.

_Quit being like Imogen!_

She winced, but continued on smiling.

Silent cloaked at them as they stared at each other—well, as Eli stared at her while she continued pretending to study the wall, acting as if his lingering stare didn't unnerve her—for what felt like hours to Imogen.

"Eli…?" There was silence. Slowly, she turned towards him. "What?" he said at the exact same time. She bit the inside of her cheek, not sure how to approach the subject.

"Bullfrog…" She found herself staring at his face. It looked the same as it had months ago, back when she still dating him, back before all the drama had prom happened. Angular face, haunting eyes the color of emerald green, dark brown bangs falling messily in his face. Staring at his face, she had a sudden urge to brush his damp bangs away from his forehead. Her finger twitched and she breathed a soft sigh.

"What about him?" Eli asked, sounding annoyed as he waited for her to continue.

She gazed at him for another few seconds before looking away.

_Just say it, _she ordered herself.

"Bullfrog told me about Imogen," She said as flatly as she could, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Was there a breeze in the room? She shivered, pulling on the sleeves of her gray and black long-sleeved shirt so it covered her hands.

"He told me she was your ex-girlfriend," She continued on determinedly turning back to face him. She would have thought he was okay with Bullfrog telling her all about Imogen if it wasn't for the way his jaws were clenched together, and his fists were balled up as he folded his arms over his chest.

"What else did he tell you?" He asked, obviously forcing the words between his teeth. She hesitated.

"He told me she…_cheated_ on you," She responded, having to take a deep breath before saying the last three words.

"And that's all?" He pressed. She nodded after a moment of hesitation.

"Yes." She looked away from him as she told this lie.

"Did you ask him who she was or did he just tell you himself?"

She bit her lip, not sure how answer this question. She didn't want to admit she had asked about her, but…she didn't want to get Bullfrog in trouble, especially when it was her who had asked.

"I asked," She responded after a minute of silence. "I was curi—"

"Mind your own damn business."

She turned to him and blinked, shocked. "Excuse me?" she said, astonished.

"I said," Eli repeated what he said through ground teeth. "Mind your own damn business. Quit trying to get into something that doesn't concern you. What happened to me in the past, is none of your concern, so keep out my business. Got it?" He said these words with such coldness for a minute or two she was speechless.

_None…of my…business? _She repeated his words in her head, over and over again. Suddenly anger overcame her.

"What gives you the right to tell me what to do?" She very nearly screamed, a vein popping in her forehead. She could tell by the way Eli was glaring at her that he was just getting more and more pissed off.

"Keep out of my business," He repeated again in a growl.

"You can't tell me what to do!" She yelled. She glared at him, her eyes blazing with rage. "I have a right to know!"

"No, you don't," Eli growled back. "Now either shut the fuck up or get out my—"

"How are you so certain she cheated on you?" She demanded.

"Get out of my—"

"Answer the question!"

"I don't have t—"

"How are you so certain she cheated on you?" She asked again, this time taking a step towards him. "How are you so certain she cheated on you and it wasn't just a misunderstanding?"

Eli continued to glare at her, but he finally responded back to her query, "You weren't there. You don't know what happened."

_Yes, I do! _

She wanted to say that, but she knew better not to.

"But how are you so certain she cheated on you?" She questioned once more. "Did you even let her explain herself?" she asked, already knowing the answer. "Did you let her tell her side of the story?"

Eli's eyes hardened as he glared at her. "No, I didn't," He said. "And I didn't need to. I saw her with the guy. Everybody saw her with him. And she told him she loves him. I didn't need her side of the story. It would be useless to know her side of the story because it would just be lies."

"How would you know?" she asked. "How would you know what she's saying is just a bunch of lies? And how can you just assume that?"

"How can you come up with so many statements that begins with 'how'," He shot back, looking more annoyed than angry now. "When somebody gets caught doing something they shouldn't be doing, they make up stories. They tell lies. I know that. I've gone out with enough girls to know this by now. The excuses are always the same. They try to make themselves sound like the victim, hoping I'll give them another chance, but I never do. I'm not stupid enough to fall for the little tales they make up."

"But what if she really wasn't cheating on you?" she asked him.

"She was cheating on me," Eli said flatly, his eyes hardening again. "End of story. Now if you're not going to—"

"You don't know whether or not she was cheating on you," She murmured, continuing to speak. "Telling someone you love them doesn't mean you're cheating on your boyfriend or girlfriend with them. For example; I told my mom I love her; does that mean I'm cheating on my boyfriend with her?"

Eli just stood silent. "…you don't know anything about what happened," He responded coldly back.

She laughed, a smile forming on her face.

"Actually no, Eli, _you_ don't," she said.

_You know what happened that night, at prom, but that's all you know…everything else, you just assumed._

Eli looked annoyed at this statement. "Whatever," he said. "It doesn't matter anymore anyway. I haven't seen her since the night we broke up. And I doubt I'll ever see her again, so it doesn't matter. Just forget about it. Stop bringing it up."

She was silent for a moment.

"Fine," She agreed. "But first—" She saw Eli scowl. "I wanna know one more thing."

"So do I," Eli sneered back. "Why do you even give a shit about my love life with this girl?"

She stared him straight in the eye. "Did you love her?"

"What?" He said, obviously thinking he misheard or something.

She continued to stare at him straight in the eyes. "Did you love her?" she demanded. "Did you love Imogen Moreno?"

A frown came upon Eli's face and he began to shift uncomfortably in his place. "No…I didn't…" he said, drawing out his words slowly. Imogen felt her face drop at this and her arms, previously crossed sternly across her chest, fell to her sides.

"Oh. Okay," she said.

_Stupid. So stupid._

"Well, I'll be going now," She said. "Bye."

"Wait, you're going? What about the project—"

"Another day," She said.

_Why had she believed Bullfrog? She was so_—

"Denial…"

"Huh?"

Imogen was surprised when she saw Bullfrog, and there he was, standing in the doorway of the room that was across from Eli's.

"He's in denial…he just can't admit it…" Bullfrog continued muttering to himself. "And he can't see…he just can't see she is—"

"Bullfrog?"

Bullfrog's head snapped up, and his eyes widened as he saw her. "G-Genny!" He exclaimed, laughing sheepishly. "I didn't see you there! When did you…?"

"I…I just exited Eli's room a few moments ago," She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm going home now. I don't want to be trekking out in the cold when it's dark out, ya know?"

Bullfrog nodded, giving a short laugh. "Yeah, I understand. Well, I'll see you around I guess!"

"Definitely," she said. "Bye."

"Come again soon, _Imogen_!" Bullfrog called after her.

xxx

Eli. Jose. Eli. Jose.

She didn't know what to do. First there's Jose, who wants her, then there's Eli, the boy she oh-so-desperately wishes he would recognize her.

She buried her face into her hands, sitting outside from Soul Silver on a table seat. Her elbows were rested on the table and all she could think about were Eli and Jose…

She remembered the night her and Eli first made love together…and it was the most memorable moment of her life. She also remembered the night Jose and her made love…like…it just happened.

"_I love you, Elijah…"_

"_I love you, Jose."_

Then she remembered when she asked Eli if he loved her…when she was posing as Genny…

"_Did you love Imogen Moreno?"_

"_No…I didn't…"_

She left his apartment when he said those words. Those words were drowning on her…making her want to cry out in pain and sorrow.

She couldn't believe it herself…she was in love with the two.

"Imogen?"

Imogen's head snapped up. It was dark out. _Uh oh, _She thought.

"I finally found you!" Fitz said, smiling at the short-haired brunette, taking in her new appearance. "Wow you look so…different."

Imogen just nodded, sighing right after. "Of course,"

"Are you okay?" He asked suddenly, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine," She responded back immediately. "I'm perfect, why?"

Fitz said nothing, his eyebrows furrowed together as a frown painted his lips, confusion evident in his eyes. "I didn't know you lived here. Everybody thought…Eli thought…"

She clenched her fists together.

_Please don't say his name…please don't bring him up…please, Fitz, don't._

"He moved, you know…"

"Who?" She immediately wanted to smack herself after saying the word.

"Eli," Fitz responded. "He moved here, in New York."

She said nothing after this.

"You shouldn't have moved just because things got a little out of control at Prom."

"I didn't move because of what happened at Prom," She snapped back, irritated by Fitz's choice of words. "I was already going to move! My mom got a job here by Jose's mother's help, and so we were going to move here because of that."

Fitz frowned. "So…you didn't run away…?"

"Run away?" She snorted. "Of course not!"

Fitz's frown deepened. "Imogen, listen…you're not still upset are you? About Prom, I mean?"

Her glare softened as she met Fitz's gaze and she looked away. "Upset? About Prom?" she said quietly. "Am I still upset that everybody at Degrassi hates me pretty much and think I'm nothing more than a cheating slut? Am I still upset that my boyfriend dumped me in front of everybody and literally humiliated me? Am I still upset that all my closest friends also hate me and dumped me as their friend because I'm just that lousy of a person?"

"Imogen—" Fitz started, his voice soft.

"No," She shook her head. "Forget about it. I'm over it. I don't need them." Her eyes hardened. "I don't need anybody. I'm perfectly fine on my own. I'm stronger now, Fitz."

She brushed pass her childhood friend, and not looking back, she called over her shoulder, "And you can tell Eli that the next time you see him. Tell him I'm stronger and I don't need him now."

And with those words out in the air, she walked away, leaving Fitz to his own thoughts.

It wasn't until the car ride home she started to wonder why Fitz recognized her instantly while Eli still believed she was somebody else entirely.

xxx

Eli was staring out the window when his cellphone rang, watching dark rain clouds drift across the ashen sky, his mind blank. He allowed the phone to ring its full course once; when the phone started ringing again, only a few seconds later, he finally decided to pick up his cell phone which laid on the small dresser next to his bed. Checking the caller ID, he saw that for once it wasn't Noah calling; it was Fitz.

"What?" He grumbled as he answered the phone, annoyed that the tranquil atmosphere in his room had been disrupted by his cell phone's loud ring tone.

"_I saw her…"_ Fitz said softly, his voice sounding oddly distant, as if he wasn't talking to anybody at all.

"Saw who?" Eli questioned uninterestedly, folding an arm behind his head as he leaned against his bed's headboard.

"_Her…"_

Eli scowled, annoyed. "Who, Bianca?"

"_No!" _Fitz snapped on the other end of the phone. _"I saw Imogen today!"_

For a moment it felt as if the world froze.

"What?" Eli sputtered, shocked.

He saw Imogen? Did that mean she lives in New York?

"_She was at some restaurant today," _Fitz explained quickly, his words tumbling out of his mouth like a waterfall. _"I talked to her for a few minutes."_

Eli was about to ask what they talked about, but then he stopped himself. Why did he care? He could care less about Imogen and anything that had to do with her.

"_She looked kind of different though,"_ Fitz went on, his voice still sounding distant. _"I mean, she still looked the same except for a few minor changes, but…there was just something about her that was different. I don't know how you explain it. It's like she looked…stronger. Not physically, just…in spirit. Or something."_

"And I should care about this why?" Eli asked, sounding annoyed. "I don't care if you saw her again. She means nothing to me."

"But she once meant something to you…" Fitz murmured quietly. "And don't try to deny that she didn't once mean something to you because I know she did once. That's why you went out with her."

Eli said nothing as he glared up at the ceiling, an annoyed scowl on his face.

"_She's a different person Eli…"_

"And again, I should care why?"

"_Are you certain she cheated on you Eli?" _Fitz questioned suddenly. For a moment, Eli was reminded of Genny. She had asked him a similar question once.

"Yes, I'm certain!" he snorted. "She told him she loves him!"

"_I told my mother I loved her before I came here to New York to visit. Does that mean I'm cheating on Bianca?"_

Again, another similar question that reminded him of Genny.

"_I just can't imagine Imogen cheating on anyone. She hated cheaters because she has been cheated on so many times before too." _Fitz added.

"Which shows she's not just a cheater, but she's also a hypocrite," Eli responded coldly back.

Fitz sighed, and Eli could hear the exasperation in his voice as he said, _"Listen, Eli. It's not that I believe you made this up or anything, but I just don't think Imogen would cheat on you. You meant everything to her, Eli. Honestly, I think her cheating on you was just a big misunderstanding."_

Eli was about to respond angrily back, but before he could, he cut him off. _"Anyway, I gotta go now. Talk to you later." _Before Eli even had a chance to respond, there was a _beep! _and the phone went dead.

Eli threw the phone to the floor, a scowl painted on his face as he folded his arms behind his head as he laid on his bed.

"It was not a misunderstanding!" He growled, glaring up at the ceiling. He glared up at the ceiling for a few more minutes, his mind buzzing angrily, before he finally sighed and swung his legs off his bed, accidentally knocking some books off the nightstand by his bed.

"Shit!" Eli cursed, grabbing the books that fell off and putting them in place. He grumbled curses under his breath, but then fell in silence when he saw a picture lying on the ground.

Imogen and him.

"_Enemy, familiar friend…my beginning and my end.."_

Immediately, memories began to blur into his mind.

"_Daydreaming about something?" _

She looked into his eyes, as if she enjoyed staring into them. _"Not even close,"_

He remembered giving her a silver rose, the words he had once said to her, trying to put an influence into his sentence.

"_Keep it as a lucky charm…that whether you're in a tough situation or not, you know that whatever it takes…you can make it through."_

Then he remembered Prom night…

"_Broken truth, whispering lies…and it hurts again."_

"_You can give me silver," _She took the silver studs that had the letters _I _and _E _engraved on them, throwing them to the ground. They rolled on the ground and stopped right in front of his feet…sparkling in the room's dim lighting.

"_You can give me gold," _She ripped off the gold necklace that had the words _Guardian Angel _engraved on it, throwing it onto the ground as the clacking sound hit the hard floor.

"_What I fear and what I try, the words I say and what I hide."_

Why were these images going through his mind?

"But –" She paused, her eyes starting to water again and her voice starting to tremble. "If you can't even trust me…"

Just then they announced the Prom Queen and King, but Eli didn't hear who the winners were. He only heard Imogen's voice and her words.

"…then it's better we're over," She whispered.

"_All the pain, I want it to end…but I want it again."_

No! Stop! Stop!

He took a raspy breath and out of frustration, he threw the picture to the ground, his whole body beginning to quiver, his bangs falling messily in front of his eyes.

"_And it finds me…  
>The fight inside is coursing through my veins…"<em>

Was he…crying?

Images from all their nights together filled his mind. Her sweet kisses, the touch of her hand on his cheek, her unforgettable laughter, her sweet whispers as she pointed out a constellation she saw in the night sky.

"_And it's raging  
>The fight inside is breaking me again..."<em>

Moments of perfection…now gone forever…

**Author's Note: This is the longest chapter I have ever written.**

**So whose team are you on? Imogeli or Imose? I'm on both, I can't choose because I'm so in love with both. I'm also so in love with Eli and Jose.**

**The songs I used for this chapter are Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift / Nothing and Everything by Red.**

**Gahhh, leave me reviews? (:**


	13. Crystal

**Author's Note: Here's chapter 13! More spicy shit is going to happen anyways so keep your heads up!**

**Also. I'm team Imogeli all the way! But then again, I love Imose too. So if you were to ask me "Imogeli or Imose?" That's a pretty tough question!**

**Anyway, continue reading, children. ;D**

Imogen found herself wearing a denim skirt along with a comfy long-sleeved black v-neck top, revealing a white tank top underneath. With the outfit she wore black stockings with short leather boots. And of course, hidden beneath the shirt was the silver necklace her name was engraved on. It was lying on her skin and out of Eli's sight. The outfit was mixed of both Genny and Imogen.

Imogen waited in front of Eli's apartment door, discovering there were dead flowers starting to revive now that the sun was out. The sun was pleasantly warm against her back, but of course she was wearing black, and the sun is attracted to that color – she waited for Eli and Noah. The two arrived a few minutes after her, Noah chattering away like usual, while Eli remained as quiet as stone, although even he seemed a bit more relaxed than the past few days.

When she saw Eli nod and lift his hand, which was his usual wave, Imogen smiled as she walked up to the doorway, waiting for Eli behind her. When she didn't hear the thuds, she turned around, lifting an eyebrow. She saw he was still in the driveway, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Hey, Eli, aren't you coming?" She questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

Much to her surprise, he smirked and shook his head. Her frown deepened and tilted her head to the side. "Why not?"

"Because this is the first nice weather we've had in weeks and I'm not going to waste my time in my house pretending to present our project to an invisible class." Eli responded coolly.

"And you can go inside and pretend I'm there with you and present to Bullfrog, or go home, or you can come with me and enjoy the good weather while we have it."

"I never thought of you as the type who actually enjoyed good weather," She commented, smirking.

Eli just shrugged and started to stroll down the path again at a casual place. Imogen rolled her eyes and sighed, following after him.

"So where are you heading?" She questioned.

Eli shrugged. "Anywhere,"

"Ah,"

A comfortable silence developed between them as they walked, the only sounds being the calls and chirpings of birds also enjoying the good weather. Imogen smiled to herself.

"We should go to Crystal Lake," She said suddenly, a grin spreading across her face.

"You do know Jason can be around there, right?" Eli scoffed.

Imogen rolled her eyes. "Those movies aren't real! But come on, that lake is really beautiful…"

Eli just sighed in defeat. "Fineeee."

As they reached towards Crystal Lake she recalled little memories of her and Noah racing down this same path, along with Jose. She also recalled swimming there with Bianca, and pushing Jose into the lake's cold water. She then wondered what she and Eli would do once they got there.

"You're quiet," Eli commented suddenly from beside her as they walked along the path to Crystal Lake.

She smiled. "Yeah, well, you're always quiet."

Eli stayed quiet at this, his emerald green eyes locked on the ground. Briefly, Imogen started to wonder what he was thinking of. He was always so hard to read, like a closed book. Quite the opposite from her. Her mom was always referring to her as an _open book._

"What are you thinking about?" She asked after a minute.

The sun beamed down on them through the cracks on the treetops. Shadows danced around them as the leaves swayed in the warm breeze.

"Writing, nature, school…" He paused slightly. "You,"

A small blush warmed her cheeks at this last one, and she quickly glanced down, that way he couldn't see the smile spreading across her face.

"Are they any good thoughts?" She wondered.

"About you? I guess." Eli replied.

She wanted to ask him what exactly he was thinking of that concerned her, but she didn't want to sound too eager or desperate for such information that she shouldn't even care about.

The trees were beginning to thin again. Within minutes, she could see the glimmering blue surface of Crystal Lake which glittered in the sunlight. She smiled at the sight of it, the memories of her childhood rushing back to her again. She started to run towards the lake.

She closed her eyes briefly as she ran, a smile on her face, as the sunlight beamed on her, and the wind blowing at her short brown hair. She opened them again, giggling as she realized she was right in front of the shore of Crystal Lake. She quickly pulled off her black boots and threw them elsewhere along with her black stockings before dipping her toes in the sand and spinning.

"Wheeeeeeee!"

She plopped down on her bootie, a yelp escaping her lips as she landed on a pointy sea shell which she threw into the lake once she found the source of her own bootie's pain. A low chuckle filled her ears and she turned around to see Eli a few yards away, his hands shoved in his pockets, looking highly amused. She stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to the lake. She extended her legs until she was able to dip her toes into the water.

"Having fun?" Eli called, walking up behind her.

"Actually, yes, I am having fun," She responded back, turning her gaze to him for a second, before returning it back on the lake. As she reached forward and dipped her fingers in the freezing water, she flicked the water on her fingers at Eli. He frowned slightly in annoyance as water sprayed his face, now trickling down his forehead and cheek. She giggled, smirking at him innocently.

"You are so immature," He told her.

"It's not that I'm immature," She said. "It's just I'm fun. Funner than you, anyways."

Eli just rolled his eyes.

"You seem strong, mature, smart, and not bad looking either. It's no wonder you have all the girls falling for you." Eli's smirk grew wider at this comment.

As hours passed, it was now night time. The stars were out. The full moon shone down them, its milky white waves kissing her skin as she stared up at it. She turned to Eli, and saw he was now staring up at the sky too.

"Hey, look," She said suddenly, pointing to the sky. In the sky there were seven silver stars that shined brighter than the other stars that surrounded it.

"Doesn't it look like a female lion?" She asked, smiling as she recalled pointing out most likely the same constellation to Eli on their first date together, back in Diamond Lake.

"_That looks like a female lion," She murmured, getting comfortable in this sitting position. Eli's arms were wrapped around her from behind. He smirked as he looked up at the sky as well._

"_It looks more like a male lion, or shall I say __**Mufasa.**__" Eli joked, burying his face in her neck._

"_Either way, it's the same thing." He muttered against her neck._

_Imogen just smiled, closing her eyes as she felt the breeze hit her._

Eli looked to where she was pointing. "It looks like a male lion to me."

Imogen was silent for a moment, before quietly saying. "Female lion, male lion, they all look the same…except the male lion has a lot of hair."

Eli glanced at her, and she wondered if he remembered saying the same words to her (or _Imogen) _on their first date together.

She turned to Eli after feeling his gaze linger on her for more than a minute. "Is something wrong?" Eli shook his head, finally glancing away. "It's nothing."

"Ah…" She nodded, looking up towards the stars again.

"You…" She heard him say, turning to him. She noticed he was glancing at something. "You have the same necklace Imogen had…"

Her eyes widened slightly as she glanced down at her necklace, only to notice half of her name was exposing. The _gen _part was showing. She quickly hid it under her shirt once more, glancing back up at Eli. She remained quiet.

_Maybe tonight he will finally realize…_

"Why was the _G _lower case, though?" He questioned.

She turned to Eli and saw he was frowning, his eyebrows furrowed together, as if in great concentration.

"Eli…" She said softly. He turned to her.

The ache in her heart began to grow as Eli's emerald green eyes burned into her.

She glanced away nervously, sighing afterwards.

"We should probably get home," She told him.

"It's a school night."

Eli sighed, nodding in agreement.

And so in silence, the two walked home.

xxx

Imogen was smiling when she woke up, recalling yesterday's events. Her smile dropped, however, when she looked out the window and saw the sky; cloudy.

The sky looked ugly, filled with puffy gray clouds that may signal rain or snow.

Imogen shivered as she felt a small chill pass through the room. She closed the window sill and locked it. Sighing, she walked over to her closet and pulled some gray skinny jeans which matched with a black long-sleeved top. After putting on a pair of tight black leather boots, wrapping a black scarf around her neck, and tossing a white winter beanie over her head. Her hair was starting to grow, but it was still short into a bob.

She grabbed a Red Bull on the way out, running outside and entering her mother's car. She then slammed the door shut behind her. They arrived at White Gold University minutes later. The first thing Imogen noticed when she exited the car was Bianca's sly grin, a grin that meant she knows something or might know something. What she was about to be drilled for, Imogen did not know.

"So, how was your date with Eli?" She asked immediately, crossing her arms afterwards.

"Excuse me?"

She was not aware of going on a _date _with Eli yesterday.

Unless…

Oh geezus.

Bianca smirked. "That's right missy! I saw you and Eli together, walking to Crystal Lake." She exclaimed. "So what's up with you two? Are you just going to forgive his cold-hearted ass and be his girlfriend again?"

"No!" Imogen stammered, and then hissed. "Keep your voice down!"

"You still didn't tell him you're really Imogen, and not Genny, I'm guessing?"

Imogen shot Bianca a glare, even though she was thankful that the brunette's voice had lowered some.

"No, I haven't," She responded. She then whispered, "He doesn't need to know."

Bianca just rolled her eyes. "Yes, he does need to know. He's going to find out on his own eventually if you don't tell him."

"I don't have to," She responded, heading for the main school building. However, she stopped when she heard Bianca's next words.

"He won't forgive you if he has to find out on his own."

She turned around. "I just got him back in my life Bianca and I'm not looking forward to losing him again…"

"He took your heart and tore it apart," Bianca snapped.

"He hated me when he thought I was cheating!" She nearly yelled, "Now that he's back in my life…I don't want him to hate me all over again."

She whispered, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"And we're not getting back together," She continued. "He doesn't care what happens to me anyway, whether I'm myself, Genny, or someone else."

"You know that's not true…" Bianca whispered, sighing afterwards. "Anyway. I uhm…kinda know what happened with you and Jose…"

Imogen bit her lip nervously, looking away.

"That night was a mistake." She stated.

"Jose loves you, Imogen." Bianca admitted. "But I know that you're still in love with Eli…"

"I don't love anyone." Imogen snapped, turning her gaze back on her.

"You're lying to yourself," Bianca replied. "I know you still have feelings for Eli because it hurts to know that he doesn't remember you…"

"I'm not weak, Bianca." Imogen said angrily.

"I'm just speaking the truth," Bianca whispered.

"You're telling me a bunch of false statements. I don't love Eli, and Jose, my best friend, doesn't love me."

"My brother has loved you for ten years Imogen! But of course you're too stupid to realize that."

"I'm not stupid…" Imogen whispered, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Bianca frowned slightly. "My brother is hurting because he loved you for all these years and he knows…you're still in love with Eli."

Imogen glanced down at the ground, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "…would it sound crazy if I say I'm in love with both?" She questioned, glancing back up at Bianca.

Bianca just stared at her best friend, feeling sympathy for her. "No, it doesn't," She breathed.

She sighed afterwards. "Well, I'm going to the library. It's too chilly out here. Good luck with Dr. Doom."

Imogen sighed, wiping her tears clean, making sure she didn't mess up her make up. She had just turned back around, about to finish her walk through the doors and into the warm hallways. Before she could enter the door, she nearly ran into a human figure.

Startled, she backed up a few feet. "E-Eli!" She stammered.

He just looked at her, noticing how her face looked puffy, as if…

"Have you been crying?" He questioned.

"N-no," She whispered, looking away quickly. "It's nothing, anyway – did you need something?"

"Actually, yes," Eli replied. "I would like to invite you to come to Manhattan with me during Winter Break."

She glanced back up at him, shocked. "Y-you want me to go to Manhattan with y-you?"

"Yeah…unless you don't want to,"

"I guess I can ask my mom if…I can go…" She whispered.

A smile formed on Eli's lips. "Okay then,"

She glanced around, noticing small snow drops falling from the sky. She smiled in satisfaction.

"So, you consider me as a friend, huh?" She said after a moment of silence.

He shrugged. "Yeah, do you?"

"Yes," She said with a smile.

Eli suddenly brought a fruit before her eyes. "Apple?"

She gazed at the red fruit he held in the palm of his hand. She was about to say _no _until he took her hand and placed the apple in her palm anyway. She watched, speechless, as he closed her fingers around the apple.

She looked up in his eyes instantly, remembering how she always used to love staring into his emerald green eyes. "Thank you," She whispered.

Eli just smirked, grunting as he walked into the school building.

"See you in English."

xxx

Imogen watched the snowflakes outside as they fell, covering the pavement, the building, everything in sight.

The city that never sleeps…

She smiled as she heard the familiar rumble of her mother's car.

She licked her lips nervously, going over the words she would ask her mother once she walks through the door.

The door flew open, revealing her mother.

Imogen smiled. "Mom?"

Cynthia looked up as she heard her daughter call for her. She smiled when she saw how warm she looked on the couch, a large blanket covering her.

Imogen threw her blanket to the ground, standing up on her feet. "Is there something you need, honey?" Cynthia asked, taking off her coast as she hanged it on the coat rack.

"Um, are we going anywhere during Winter Break?"

Cynthia shook her head. "No, but Fern and I were thinking of having a nice Christmas dinner at that one restaurant Seven Stars."

Imogen just sighed.

"Was there any other plans you were looking forward to?" Her mom questioned.

"Yeah…" She said quietly. "Well…I got this invitation from this friend to go to Manhattan with them during Winter Break…I kind of wanted to go."

"Manhattan does seem like a nice place to spend Christmas…" Cynthia murmured. "Who is this friend of yours?"

"Just…just a friend from school."

"Is it Bianca? Jose? Noah?"

Imogen shook her head nervously. "Someone else…so can I go?" She wondered. She knew for a fact her mother was going to say n–

"Sure,"

Imogen blinked, shocked. "Really?"

Cynthia nodded. "You're nearly seventeen now. You're responsible, and I trust you not to make any stupid decisions or anything."

"Thanks mom," She smiled, truly grateful.

She was relieved her mom was going to let her go to Manhattan with Eli (even though she didn't know it was him exactly).

"No problem, dear." Her mother sat on the couch.

"It's good for you to get some fresh air. I've been pretty worried for you since we've moved here and your break up with Eli…"

Instinctively, Imogen felt herself tense as her mom brought up the subject of her and Eli.

"Yeah, well, I guess I was still getting used to all the changes." She mumbled, turning to gaze outside the window once more. "Moving to a new house and all…"

Cynthia nodded. "Of course. You two didn't need to break up just because you were moving away though…it is possible for a long distance relationship to survive. And New York is only a few hours away from Toronto, Canada. I take that was the reason you two broke up, wasn't it?"

Imogen remained silent, carefully choosing her words. "Actually, it was more of a misunderstanding, but…it doesn't really matter now…I mean, we're still friends…"

The phone from the kitchen soon ringed. Cynthia sighed, walking over to the kitchen as she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Her mother said, answering the phone.

Meanwhile, Imogen walked herself to her room, smiling to herself, as she already started to plan everything she would need for her trip with Eli to Manhattan.

xxx

He started shooting at the trees, catching his breath. Jose has been training for hours and sooner or later he had to go to war with the rest of his soldiers. He sighed, holding an AK-47 in his hands, shooting at the trees in an even angle. He turned to his friend, Carson, who is also a soldier.

"How are you doing there?" He questioned.

"My shooting skills are improving a bit, you?"

Jose shrugged. "It's kind of off," he sighed, trying to shoot the tree once more to only see the bullets collide onto the ground.

"Just keep on trying," Carson said, "Practice makes perfect."

After a few more minutes of training, his aim began to improve. This put a smile on his face as he continued with what he was doing. After a few minutes, he stopped shooting, breathing a sigh of relief. "Fantastic,"

Carson smirked as he patted Jose's shoulder. "We're about to go on a lunch break, you comin'?"

Jose nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll be there in a sec."

Carson just smiled as he walked away. Jose just smiled, staring at the tree he was shooting at.

He sighed as he started to walk over to the tree, touching the bark.

"_You're sure he's the one who rode your helicopter?" _He heard a voice say.

"_That asshole scratched my helicopter, now he's going to get what he deserves."_

He turned around only to notice two familiar soldiers with a M16 in their hands, pointing at him. His eyes widened as he began dragging his feet, beginning to run…

But it was too late…

xxx

Imogen smiled in satisfaction as she stared at her packed luggage. She soon wandered out of the room to only hear her mother talking on the phone. She decided to listen up on her conversation, and stood in the hallway, leaning against the wall.

"He got shot?" Her mother gasped, her voice almost sounding scared.

Imogen pursed her eyebrows together. Who got shot? It was a _he _of course, but who?

"Oh my god, we'll be right there!" Her mother slammed the phone down on the counter. She walked out of the kitchen to only notice her daughter standing in the hallway.

"Imogen!" Her mother yelped, almost in surprise.

Imogen looked at her mother, noticing tears streaming down her face. "Who got shot?" She asked immediately.

Tears began to pour from her mother's eyes as if she was unable to talk.

Imogen stared at her mother with sympathy. "Mom…who got shot?" She repeated.

"J-Jose," Her mother managed to say, staring at Imogen, beginning to feel bad for her daughter.

Imogen froze, the words registering in her head.

Jose…got shot…what?

Does this mean…

"No," She spoke quickly, closing her eyes shut. "No, no!" She yelled, running past her mother as she reached the front door. She ran out of the house, running down a dozen of staircases as she exited out of the apartment building.

And she kept running.

And crying…almost like how she did at Prom.

No…she was not going to lose Jose.

She was not going to lose her best friend.

She was not going to lose the person she loves…

She finally reached the Lincoln Hospital, pushing through the entrance. She ran down the hall, running to the Emergency Room as she pushed opened the doors.

She looked passed the doctors and saw him lying on the bed…hurt.

"Jose!" She cried, trying to reach him but was stopped by a doctor.

"Ms., you're not supposed to be in–"

"I'm his sister! Now let go of me!" She begged, trying to struggle out of the doctor's arms.

"Ms., you have to le–"

"She is my sister, Doctor." Jose spoke up.

The doctor narrowed his eyes at Jose, believing his words. He sighed as he let Imogen's arms free. As soon as the doctor let his grip free from her arms, she hurried over to Jose, staring at him with tear-filled eyes. Tears pouring from her eyes, as if she was breaking down all over again.

"Don't cry…" Jose whispered, staring up at the brunette.

"How can I hold in my tears when it's a possible chance you can die!" She nearly screamed.

The doctor looked over at the other doctors, giving them a head nod. He was signaling for them to give then some time to talk alone. The other doctors understood as they all exited out of the room, leaving the two alone.

Jose sighed, glancing at Imogen. "I'm okay, Imogen."

"No, you're not okay! Stop telling me you're okay when you're not!" She shouted, more tears streaming down her eyes.

Jose just sighed, watching the girl he desperately loved cry, right in front of his eyes. He hated to see her cry. It always made him feel like there was nothing he can do to make her happy again.

"Imo–"

He was silenced by her lips crashing onto his and this of course surprised him. He let his eyes flutter closed as he returned the kiss.

She moved her lips over his, kissing him passionately.

This kiss felt like their first real kiss…although it really wasn't.

She departed from the kiss slowly, sitting down in the nearest chair by him. She looked down at her hands shakily, tears continuing to stream down her face.

"I love you, Imogen…" He whispered.

She looked up at Jose, gulping nervously. "Why?" She demanded venomously. "Tell me why you love me!" She demanded once more.

He sighed, taking a deep breath. "Because…you're the sweetest…intelligent, beautiful girl I've ever met. You have flaws…and you're imperfect, but hey nobody out there is perfect. I love you because you're so stupid at times and you always know what to say when you're in a tough situation…"

"I'm in love with Eli…" She whispered, staring intensely at Jose. "The other night was a mistake…"

Jose just looked at her, his heart breaking from those words.

"But I'm in love with you too…" She stammered.

He looked at her in the eyes, registering those words into his head. "…which one do you want? Me…or Eli?"

"Please don't make me choose, Jose." Imogen cried.

Jose just sighed. "I know you're still in love with Eli…but, if you had to choose…you can't choose me." He whispered.

Imogen looked at him with sympathy, more tears pouring from her eyes. It's like he knew exactly what her choice would be.

But he was right…her choice would have been Eli.

"I-I'm so sorry, Jose…" She said.

"He's the first person you loved…I understand that it's hard, but I know you want him." He whispered.

"He doesn't even know it's me…" She stammered.

"He will…the best option is to tell him." He suggested.

Imogen looked deep into his eyes, sighing hopelessly.

"Can…can I spend the night with you?" She asked. "As in just sleeping?"

"Sure," Jose said, scooting over for her to have some room.

She stood up on her feet, climbing into the bed as well. She laid her head on Jose's chest, surprising him by this. He glanced down at the brunette, a small smile forming on his lips.

"You'll always be my best friend, Jose…" She whispered.

As moments passed, the brunette fell asleep. Jose sighed, thinking about everything.

He was so in love with her, but he knew he couldn't have her, which killed him on the inside. But…as Bianca told him before…he had to let her go.

xxx

"Wow…" Imogen's eyes widened as she took in the sight of Manhattan. She felt excitement fill in her as Bullfrog parked the car in front of a small house where he and Eli usually stayed during Winter Break.

Imogen glanced around the city, staring at this part of Manhattan. This part was 42nd street, known for its theaters and the famous Times Square.

"Manhattan is so beautiful," Imogen exclaimed.

Her eyes examined the white snow plastered upon the ground, glittering like diamonds. Imogen had never seen snow so beautiful until now.

"Yep," Bullfrog said. "This is Manhattan. Amazing, huh?"

"It is…" She breathed.

She heard a small rustle behind her and she turned around to see Eli, remaining quiet.

Eli had two luggages in his hand which he carried into the house on his own. Imogen grabbed her own two bags and followed Bullfrog into the house.

Her eyes widened once more when she took in the sight of the maple walls covered in portraits of Eli's and Bullfrog's family, the maple floor which was partly covered by a warm brown rug. There was a fireplace in one corner of the house which would have brightened the room with a magnificent orange glow if it was on, along with a coffee table which was present in the middle of the living room. It was like the perfect winter cottage: simple, warm, and snug. It may have not been a fancy nor expensive house, but nonetheless, Imogen was jealous.

Eli must have seen her awed expression because he smirked. "Like it?" he asked.

"Like it?" She asked, turning to him. "This place is beautiful! Is everything in Manhattan beautiful?"

"Pretty much," Eli said. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand. Imogen blushed at the contact, her eyes widening some at the sudden contact. "There's something I wanna show you."

"O-oh, okay," she agreed, blushing. He led her outside where a cold wind whipped at her face. Imogen shivered as Eli led them further along on a trail.

"Where are we going?" She questioned. She noticed the snow on either side of the path was getting thicker along the way. This path to wherever they were going could have only been paved recently.

"You'll see," Eli replied gruffly back.

About ten minutes later, Imogen spotted the building that had lights and she knew immediately where they were.

"We're at Times Square," Imogen said quietly, looking at all of the people chatting, walking around Times Square. Eli nodded, and she smiled slightly, warm feeling flooding over her.

"Eli this is so…"

"Beautiful?" He finished for her. She glanced at him, her eyes meeting his. "I told you everything looks more beautiful here." He said. She blushed and turned away, her heart pounding in her chest.

Why did it seem like he was talking about her?

_I hate this…_

She hated how he didn't know who she really was. She just wished they had never broken up.

If she had just told him in the first place about having to move to New York, none of this would have happened. It all seemed so stupid now. She couldn't even remember why she had been worried about his reaction in the first place.

They could have still been together…

They could have been happy together…

She could have still been his, and he could have still been hers…

But now they couldn't, all because of a stupid misunderstanding, because of a few stupid mistakes.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

Imogen felt her body stiffen, her throat becoming dry as she tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. Eli must have just thought she was freezing.

"We should get home…" He murmured quietly, his body warm against hers as pulled her closer to him.  
>"It's supposed to be below zero degrees tonight."<p>

"Alright," Imogen agreed, glancing at the square once more as they walked their way back.

xxx

On Christmas morning, Imogen woke up early in the morning, approximately at 2:00 am or 3:00 am or so, to another bad dream about her and Eli. She squeezed her eyes shut, rolling over in the bed. She could make out a light underneath her door; she let out a sigh as she closed her eyes again, exhaustion weighing over her.

A breeze swept outside her window. She was almost asleep when she heard her door creak open and a voice quietly called her name.

"Imogen?"

She closed her eyes shut, ignoring the voice. She wanted to sleep. She curled up tighter in her bed, sighing softly as she pulled the blanket closer to her.

"Imogen? Wake up; I need to talk to you."

_This is just a dream,_ she thought. Sighing again, as she rolled over once more.

"Imogen. Imogen, wake up."

"Go away…" She mumbled.

"Imogen, you have to tell Eli the truth."

She remained quiet; convinced this was just a dream.

"I know it's really you, Imogen, not _Genny, _or Gen, or whoever," Bullfrog continued quietly. "I ran into your mother at the store about a week ago."

"That's nice…" She murmured back sleepily. She didn't open her eyes.

"You have to tell him yourself, you can't let him find out by himself," Bullfrog continued sternly. "My son is in denial, Imogen, but he won't remain in denial for the rest of his life. I don't want either of you to get hurt again."

"I'm not going to hurt him…" She mumbled back. Finally she opened her eyes, and she turned over again, staring sleepily back at Bullfrog who was like a shadow in her room, outlined only by a dim light in the hallway. "Nobody's going to get hurt."

She saw Bullfrog smile unsurely back, his eyes sympathetic.

"I would hope not…" He said.

She closed her eyes again.

She heard Bullfrog stand up, his footsteps soft thuds against the carpet as he walked out of the room, the door creaking shut behind him. When Imogen opened her eyes again, she saw the light in the hallway was off. Briefly she wondered if that was real or if she had just imagined Bullfrog came in her room. Either way, she closed her eyes again and drifted back to sleep.

**Author's Note: I'm currently frustrated because I had to retype this all over again since I lost my document. Ugh.**

**Anyway.**

**Will Imogen tell Eli the truth?**

**Or will Eli find out by himself that Genny is really Imogen?**

**Let me know what you think! Review!**


	14. Iron

**Author's Note: I haven't updated in forever, but as I said before, I have laptop issues so please don't leave me complaints. :/ Anyway, back to the story – enjoy!**

"So, did you ever go to the trainers school here?"

Eli shook his head. "No. By the time I moved here I was too old to qualify for the school, and I couldn't take the school any other times since they don't allow you to take the class for only one week."

"I see. So how long did you attend to live here before you moved?" Imogen questioned.

"Only for a little more than a half a year." He responded. "I moved here around the beginning of summer then moved to Canada the first week of February. I went to high school here for only a semester and then I went in home schooling January so I could help Bullfrog and CeCe pack."

"Who's CeCe?" She asked, knowing who she is, but she hasn't seen her since…a long time ago. What ever happened to CeCe?

"She's…my mother…" He whispered, looking away. She noticed something wrong in his eyes because he looked like he was about to break down in tears.

Did something bad happen to CeCe?

"How many girls did you leave heartbroken there then?" She questioned, changing the subject.

"Eleanor Roosevelt High School is a small school," Eli responded. "It only has about one hundred and forty four students, total, counting me in."

"Wow," She said. "So a little more than two percent of the school was left heartbroken by the great Elijah Goldsworthy." She giggled at this. "So what other places does Manhattan have?"

"Well, Manhattan has this place called Grand Central." Eli told her. "I can go show it to you if you want."

"Really?" She said. "Are you sure? I mean it's getting dark out."

"I don't mind," He responded back, already standing up. "And Manhattan is a perfectly harmless place as long as we don't get ourselves into trouble."

"Well, okay," Imogen agreed, smiling.

Eli grabbed her hand and led the way.

"Have fun!" Bullfrog called after them, busy hanging a mistletoe on the doorway as part of the Christmas decorations.

Imogen glanced back over her shoulder at Bullfrog, remembering last night. She still wasn't sure if that was real or just something part of her made up when she was sleeping.

"So how far is it?" She questioned.

"Not too far away," He responded. "We should be there in a few minutes. It's just behind those trees over there. All we have to do is follow this trail and we'll be there before we know it."

"Okay," Imogen said.

They were walking down a path filled with glittering snow.

"Hey, do you like chocolates?" He asked suddenly.

She nodded. "Yeah, I love chocolate. Especially chocolates with fillings in them, why?"

"Here," He said, holding a wrapped round candy out for her to take. "It's a Linder truffle. It has a white chocolate filling." Imogen's eyes brightened at the sight of the candy.

"You are absolutely amazing! I love Linder truffles." She declared, gratefully taking the wrapped round deliciousness from his hand. She stared at the blue wrapper before peeling it off. "Thank you."

Eli just shrugged, looking away.

She stuck the piece of candy in her mouth, allowing the chocolate flavor to wash over her tongue. The outer layer of chocolate was already beginning to melt.

"You're so sweet," She said. "A lot sweeter than I remember."

"Well, it's not like you were exactly friendly towards me when I first came here," He responded back, referring to the beginning of the year.

"O-oh yeah…sorry about that…it was just…" She shook her head, deciding to not finish her sentence, hoping Eli would just be satisfied with her apology, which he was. After a long moment of silence, she decided to start up the conversation again.

"So what is supposed to be in Grand Central anyway?" She questioned. "Anything special?"

Eli shook his head. "Not really," He responded.

"It's pretty big, and a lot of people go there…it's also a great view when you are there." Just as he said that she spotted Grand Central, and it looked so beautiful.

"Wow…" She breathed.

"You are so lucky you get to come here every winter," She declared, grinning as she ran up close to it. "This city is just amazing. It has a lake, Times Square, Grand Central, the most beautiful snow with the most beautiful sunsets!"

"Manhattan is pretty special, I guess." Eli said after a moment.

"You know, I used to have a friend—" She stopped, remembering Eli wasn't supposed to know she was friends with Jose.

Eli raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Imogen bit her lower lip, then shook her head. "Eh…it's nothing. I was just saying I used to have a friend who lived here…he never told me how beautiful this place is."

"Ah," Eli said.

Imogen sat down on the first step that led to the entrance of Grand Central. She watched the sight of it, admiring its appearances.

Imogen glanced over at Eli, and saw he was still standing around the clearing in front of it. He had a small blue box in his hand with a silver bow on top of it.

"What's that?" She questioned.

"It's a Christmas gift," Eli answered. He walked over to her and placed the box in her hands. "Merry Christmas," He said with a smile.

"A gift?" She stared at the box in his hands, her mind spinning for a few moments, before her mind finally cleared and she carefully unwrapped the gift. Underneath the wrapping paper, a black velvet box was revealed. Imogen blinked before opening the box.

"No way…" She exclaimed. She was shocked and thrilled, grabbing the dazzling gold ring with silver diamonds from the box. "A gold ring with silver diamonds on it? I didn't know they had such a thing! What is this thing made out of anyway?"

"Mostly diamonds and other stuff," Eli simply responded.

Imogen's eyes widened, surprised he was willing to spend so much on her. "It was custom made." He said. She almost had a heart attack at this news.

"But that must have cost a lot of money!"

Eli just shrugged. "It only costs a few hundreds."

Imogen frowned at this, guilt drowning on her. "I don't deserve this…" She murmured. She shook her head, returning the ring to its box and closing it. "I'm sorry, this is nice and all, really nice, but I just can't have it…"

"Sure you can," Eli responded, refusing to take the box from her hands.

"I don't deserve this." She repeated. "I'm sorry, but I can't have it."

"Just keep it, Genny." Imogen felt her heart go weak at the sound of that name, more guilt washing over her. Eli's eyes locked with hers, and she felt her throat go dry. "I'm serious. This is my gift to you, so you're going to keep it."

Imogen sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine…" She grumbled, guilt still drowning on her.

She opened the box once more, staring at the designed golden ring that had been artistically crafted with diamonds along with two small black jewels (she guessed onyx). She slipped the ring on her ring finger, smiling when she saw how nice it looked on her finger.

"Thank you," She said, taking Eli off-guard as she hugged him.

Awkwardly, he returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her as he frowned slightly. Obviously, he wasn't used to being hugged, especially by her. Imogen was surprised to find herself crying into Eli's chest as she hugged him, her shoulders trembling suddenly as emotions of guilt and regret overwhelmed her.

Eli pulled away from her, shocked to find the brunette crying and trembling so badly, tears spilling from her eyes like a waterfall.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

Imogen found herself crying harder as she rubbed at her eyes, demanding herself to stop crying, to stop looking so weak and pathetic in front of Eli. It took her a few moments to answer, but finally she found her voice.

"I-I'm sorry," She whispered. "I-it's just I-I'm overwhelmed with emotions. I-I guess." She smiled, as if to reassure him, still rubbing at her eyes. "N-no need to worry, though."

Eli's shoulders relaxed some, but he continued to frown, feeling nervous and uncomfortable as he watched her cry. He was no good at comforting girls, especially when they were crying. Half the times it was his fault.

He sighed as he moved closer to her. Imogen looked up at him, noticing what he was about to do. He leaned in, their lips dangerously close. Imogen gulped anxiously as she took a step back, not daring to have her lips in contact with his.

He sighed. He knew a great deal about Genny already, but there was still so much he didn't know about her. It was like she was carefully guarded; only letting him know stuff about her she wanted him to know and nothing else. It was like she kept herself shrouded in a mystery.

"I want to know more about _you._" He said suddenly.

Imogen looked up, startled. "You want to know more about _me?_" She repeated, confusion lighting her face. "But you already know a lot about me."

Eli shook his head. "I hardly know anything about you."

"But you do know a lot about me," She insisted, frowning. "A lot more than you realize,"

"Yeah, I know you're a straight A student, I know you love scary movies, I know you are distant from others, and a few other stuff, but I still don't know _you._" He responded.

"Me?" She repeated, becoming even more confused. "There's nothing else to know about me, really."

_Nothing else that you don't already know, anyway, _She thought to herself. "You already know everything there is about me that matters."

"Everything about _you _matters," He responded firmly.

_But you already know everything! _She responded defiantly in her mind.

"There's nothing special about me." She responded softly, her eyes flickering to the ground. She started to turn the ring he gave her on her finger.

Eli was about to respond back, but she interrupted him. "What would you do if I was _Imogen?_"

Eli blinked, taken off-guard by this question. "What?"

"I said," She paused before continuing. "What would you do if I was Imogen? You know, your ex-girlfriend,"

Eli blinked, a look of anger and conflict appearing on his face before he slowly shook his head. "You're not Imogen."

"I remind you of her. I look like her, I act like her, I have a similar necklace as her," _I went to the same school as her AND I have the same last name as her, _She oh-so-desperately wanted to say afterwards, but kept it to herself.

"How do you know I'm not her?" She continued.

"You're not her!" Eli yelled back, anger now evident in his voice. Anger flared in his eyes as he glared at her. "You're different than her. You're better."

"You're just saying that," She snapped back, "And what if I was her? What would you do?"

"I wouldn't do anything because you're not her," He growled back. "You're not Imogen. You can't be. There's no way in hell you can be Imogen."

"But how can you be so sure?" She demanded.

"You don't know Imogen," He growled through his teeth, his eyes flashing. "You're different from her!"

Imogen stared at him, her body feeling numb as she frowned in disappointment.

Did he really not realize she was really Imogen? That she _Genny Moreno _was really Imogen? Had she really changed that much? Or was it something else? Was it that he was in denial or something else?

Imogen sighed as she looked away, trying to fight the disappointment welling up inside her. She glanced up at the moon, sighing afterwards. "It's getting late," She said suddenly. "I'm going to head back,"

Eli watched her walk down the snow-dusted path back to the small cabin. He headed after her, an odd emotion, which he could not name, whirling inside of him like a hurricane. It was a cold, cold emotion, like a mix of anger, confusion, and despair with a tinge of hatred at the brunette from bringing up Imogen like that.

When Genny reached the cabin door, her hand stopped on the doorknob, as she turned towards him. He waited for her to either go in or say something. Finally, she did say something. "I'm sorry."

Eli wasn't sure what exactly she was sorry for but he just nodded anyway, giving a small grunt in response. Eli expected her to go in after this, but she remained still, her hands still on the doorknob while she watched him with sad brown eyes, a sad smile painted regretfully across her face.

"I never should have let you believe…" She trailed off, shaking her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Eli frowned, not sure of what she was talking about. He took a step closer to her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know what you're talking about," He said slowly. "But whatever it is, don't worry about it. Whatever it is, it can't be that big of a deal."

She just looked at him and sighed as if she believed otherwise.

"I'll tell you the truth one day…" She promised quietly. Eli was about to ask her what she meant, but then she looked up again, her brown eyes connecting first with his before traveling upwards and lingering on something on the doorway before returning her gaze back on him. "Merry Christmas, Eli," She whispered, standing on her toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. She turned the doorknob and entered the warm, comfy cabin.

Eli looked upwards and saw the mistletoe hanging right above the doorway.

He smirked. His hand touching the spot where Genny's lips were only seconds earlier.

_Merry Christmas to you, too…_

xxx

Imogen could feel it.

The rift that had been opened between her and Eli. It was like there was an invisible wall between them now, like a bubble that surrounded them and guarded them. It was a rift she had created between them that night at Crystal Lake.

She wondered if Bullfrog could feel the rift that had pulled her and his son apart, too, or if it was just something only her and Eli were aware of, or perhaps, maybe even just her imagination.

She gazed out the window, sighing. She glanced sideways at Eli, who was as silent as a rock as he also watched the scenery outside. Imogen sighed, darting her eyes back to the window.

About an hour later, the car was finally filled with some noise other than the rumbling of the car and the annoying Christmas songs that Imogen had already heard way too many times.

"Oh shoot…" Bullfrog muttered. "Looks like I'm going to have to pull over in the next stop to get gas."

As moments passed, they arrived at a Gas station.

Imogen felt herself sink into her seat, pulling her knees up as she hugged them tightly against her chest. She buried her face in her knees, trying to avoid everything that had happened.

What if Eli knew Jose was there in New York? He must have known he was there since Bianca is.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She thought she was doing a pretty good job of seeming okay…but then Eli spoke.

She turned to him and forced a smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine. No need to worry!" She turned back to the car-seat she was staring at, refusing to glance out the window. She did her best to tune out all the noises surrounded upon her. She started to hum a song inside her head.

_Last Christmas…I gave you my heart…but the very next day, you gave it away…_

"Imogen?"

A voice whispered. Imogen coughed, her eyebrows furrowed together as she heard this voice, her heart skipping a beat at the whispered name.

_This year…to save me from tears…_

"Genny?"

_I'll give it…to someone…someone…_

"Genny?"

Imogen was about to not respond, convinced this was also nothing more than her imagination. She gulped, glancing at Eli. He was staring at her expectantly, his eyes now boring into hers.

"Um, did you say my name?" She asked, feeling dumb as she asked the question. He nodded in response.

"I was checking to make sure you weren't asleep," He told her.

"Oh," She said, frowning. "Okay, then."

By then Bullfrog had filled up the gas tank with enough fuel to drive them back to the Bronx. They were now heading out of the gas station and leaving out of Manhattan.

xxx

Imogen stared at the phone in her hand, her thumb on one of the numbers, ready to call someone if needed.

She pursed her lips together, still staring at the blank, dark screen on her cell phone.

Without thinking, she pressed the button which immediately speed-dialed Becky's phone number. Imogen felt her heart jump in her throat as she realized what she did, accidentally hitting the speaker button.

The phone rang loudly throughout her room, and a bit timidly, Imogen picked up her phone and anxiously waited for Becky to pick up.

The phone rang its full course and Imogen felt sadness well-up inside her as she realized this.

Maybe…maybe they had given up on her. Maybe they had decided their life was so much better already without her…

Just then, the phone started ringing full blast again, and startled, she dropped the phone again. When Imogen overcame her shock and picked up the phone, she saw Becky's picture on the screen, indicating it was her who was calling.

Briefly, Imogen conflicted with herself over whether or not she should pick up the phone. The phone had almost rang its full course when she finally pushed the talk button.

"Um, hello?"

"_IMOGEN!" _This was Fiona's voice, not Becky's, and Imogen found herself sweat dropping as the girl exclaimed excitedly to someone on the other end of the phone. _"It's really her! She picked up!"_

"_Fiona, give me the phone." _She heard Becky say.

"_Wait–" _Fiona hissed before exclaiming wildly to Imogen. _"I am so, so sorry for getting mad at you. I was being a horrible friend and not believing you or listening to you and thinking you were going out with some other guy while you were dating Eli when I already know you are way better than that and for being a horrible friend–"_

"_You already said that!" _A voice (Rana's?) exclaimed from the other end.

"_ANYWAYS," _Fiona said, obviously glaring at (Rana?) or whoever the other voice belonged to. _"I know I was a horrible friend and totally don't deserve your friendship or a second chance, but I'm hoping maybe, considering you finally called back, hoping you might just possibly forgive me? It would mean the world to me, even though I obviously don't deserve the world."_

Imogen listened to all of Fiona's run-on sentences silently, a small smile forming upon her lips.

"Of course," She responded.

"_Awesooooooome!" _Fiona exclaimed. _"Anyway, since we're now friends again, I gotta say I was being a total bitch–"_

"_Okay, you said what you needed to say, now quit being a phone hog and give me back my phone!" _Becky hissed.

There was a final struggle between the two before an out of breath _"hey" _from Becky made it evident who won that struggle.

"_So, um…" _There was an awkward cough from Becky. Imogen heard Becky sigh from other end. _"I'm sorry Imogen. I was making a big deal out of everything at Prom and I didn't mean to hurt you like the way I did." _She confessed. _"You didn't deserve any of that kind of pain because you were the innocent one. We were the accusing ones…" _She whispered.

The brunette simply stayed quiet for a few seconds. "It's okay,"

"_Again, I'm sorry – we're all sorry, actually." _Becky exclaimed, sighing. _"So what changed? Why did you call?"_

Imogen thought for a minute, "Nothing changed," She replied. This was pretty true. Eli still had no idea who she was apparently and they were basically still on the same terms with each other as they've always been, despite the increased amount of times they spent together in the last week or so.

"It's just…I missed you guys."

"_Awww…" _She heard Fiona say in the background.

"_We've missed you too, Imogen!" _That was Alli's voice in the background.

"_Yeah! Come back!" _Rana also yelled in the background.

Imogen smiled, wiping her eyes as her heart swelled in joy, now that she knew her friends had also missed her. "I'm sorry, but I can't." She sighed. "I didn't exactly move willingly. Bianca and Jose's mother found her a job in New York, and so…we had to move there in order for my mom to do her job."

"_Kinda understood that from the voicemail you left us,"_ Fiona said. _"Although you've never mentioned where you were moving to."_

"_We should meet up again somewhere," _Becky told her. _"So we can hang out and catch up."_

"Sure, but…you guys are in Canada and I'm in New York…" Imogen stammered.

"_Do you think you can visit us for at least a day or two…?" _Becky questioned hopefully as she waited for Imogen's response.

"I'll see what I can do."

xxx

It took loads of time to convince her mother into letting her come to Canada for two days, just to meet up with her old friends.

Imogen glanced around nervously, a chill going up her spine.

She tugged nervously at the end of her knee-length dress she was wearing that was red on top up until it reached her waist, the lower part of the dress strictly being black. She sat nervously on a bench, right in front of The Dot.

She was in Canada again…

The place where her haunting memories lived…

"IMOGEN!" Two voices screamed in unison.

Looking up, Imogen discovered Alli, Fiona, and Rana as they quickly pulled her into a warm hug. Imogen smiled as she hugged her friends back, discovering Becky waiting to approach her behind the three.

"It's so good to see you again," Alli exclaimed, a smile on her lips.

The three girls retreated from the long hug, smiling at Imogen.

"You cut your hair?" Fiona questioned, quite shocked as she took in the new appearance of Imogen.

Imogen nodded, catching her breath. "Yeah…I cut it after, um, Prom. You know, to try a new look…"

Fiona studied her face for a moment. "Wow…you look so dark…I knew you loved the dark style, but I never knew you would become _this _dark."

Imogen bit her lip. "Everybody changes I guess…"

Fiona smiled. "Well, you still look beautiful, Imogen."

"Thanks," Imogen said with a smile.

"You really do look amazing," Rana told her, hugging her afterwards. "Like always, of course." She commented with a smile.

Alli hugged Imogen after Rana. "Welcome back, Imogen!"

"Thanks," She said, smiling.

She turned to Becky, surprised how she greeted her with a hug as well.

"I don't care if your outer appearance changed or not," Becky exclaimed. "What matters is the heart and I missed you so much," Imogen buried her face in Becky's shoulder, trying not to be overwhelmed with emotions and cry.

"Welcome back, Imogen." She whispered.

xxx

"So how did the song go?" Imogen questioned Becky, licking her strawberry-flavored ice cream, served on a waffle cone.

"Well, to be honest, I forgot most of the song." Becky sighed at this. "It really is a sweet and romantic song! It just has some complicated lyrics…you know, really long versus and lines and stuff, and you know how I am at remembering stuff already."

Imogen laughed at this, agreeing.

"Oh, _that _is such a beautiful ring," Fiona said suddenly, taking noticing of the White Gold ring Imogen was wearing. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh," Imogen blushed. "A friend gave it to me."

"A friend?" Fiona raised an eyebrow.

"More like a boyfriend!" Alli responded, grinning.

"_Oooooooh" 's _filled the table.

"I-it's not like that!" Imogen stammered.

"Oh please," Fiona scoffed. "Do you really expect us to believe that after hearing you stutter? Your blush tells it all, Imogen."

_Stupid blush, _Imogen thought, her face growing even hotter in embarrassment.

"So you found a rebound boyfriend from Eli, huh?" Becky said, smirking. "So who's the lucky man?"

"I-it's nobody." She stuttered, concentrating with all her might on her ice cream cone.

"Liar!"

"Oh come on," Fiona said. "We won't tell anybody if that's what you're afraid of."

"Yeah," Rana agreed. "We can keep secrets,"

Imogen looked up; frowning sheepishly as she anxiously twisted the ring on her finger.

"This ring…Eli gave it to me."

Gasps filled the table.

"No way! You and Eli are back together?" Alli exclaimed.

"I knew you two couldn't stay away from each other! It must be _love!_" Fiona exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"Ah, young love." Becky sighed.

"I-it's not like," Imogen murmured, a blush crawling on her cheeks. "If anything, we're just friends. He…he doesn't even know it's me."

"Impossible," Fiona declared. "You cannot forget someone's face that easily when it has only been about eight or seven months."

"He must know it's you. It's not like he thinks you're somebody else entirely, or someone." She scoffed.

Imogen remained quiet at this remark.

Fiona blinked at this. "Wait…does he?"

She nodded. "Everybody calls me Genny at White Gold University, so he believes my name is Genny Moreno."

"Such an idiot," Fiona sighed. "I would've known it was you just by the mention of your last name; Moreno. It's always the promising ones that turn out to be idiots."

Becky frowned at this, somewhat disappointed in Imogen. "And you let him believe this?"

Imogen nodded with guilt.

"I don't want him to believe I'm someone else. It's just…hard. After Prom and everything – when he first came to New York and he thought I was someone else entirely, I decided to go along with it."

"I just don't want him to hate me all over again…just like how he did with that stupid misunderstanding…"

"Even after everything _we _put you through," Alli added quietly.

"And everything I put you guys through," Imogen said. "I'm sorry for ditching you guys just to hang out with Eli and my other friends."

"It's fine," Becky said, patting Imogen's back with a smile.

xxx

Knock-knock.

As moments passed, the door opened, revealing Jose. He stared back at the person standing at the doorstep in shock.

Eli.

The dark brown haired boy stared quietly at Jose, waiting a moment before a brief "hey" escaped his lips.

Jose blinked, stepping aside so he can come in. "Uh, hey,"

Eli glanced briefly at him as he stepped inside his apartment. Jose closed the door behind him, turning his gaze back on Eli.

He breathed lowly, turning to face the boy dressed in all black. "Long time…no see…"

"Yeah…" Eli said awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with him.

"So what brings you here?" Jose questioned, crossing his arms.

"Just needed to clear my mind," He muttered.

"Oh," Jose replied.

"Where have you been?" Eli wondered, out of real curiosity. He had seen Bianca go to the same College as him but Jose was nowhere to be found.

"I've been working in the army," He replied, taking a seat on the couch in the living room.

Eli sat in the couch across from his, sighing afterwards.

"Sounds pretty big." He replied. "You don't go to school?"

Jose shook his head. "School will be a distraction for me. I have to focus on my job." He leaned back in the couch, breathing.

"Well that's good," He replied, glancing down at his hands. "Have you heard from Imogen lately?" He asked suddenly, changing the subject.

Jose's stare hardened at him, his face becoming uneasy.

Yes, of course, he had heard from Imogen.

"Yes…" He said lowly, continuing. "She's actually meeting up with Becky and her other old friends right now…"

Eli's eyes widened in surprise at this news. "Imogen is actually with Becky and the others?" He asked, shocked. "I thought she wasn't talking to them anymore."

"Well, she called them herself, and she's hanging out with them again." Jose replied. "It was only a matter of time. Despite what you may think of her Eli, she isn't exactly a coward. Imogen isn't the type of person to fully abandon a problem or situation. And when Imogen does something, it's for a reason, so she must have had a good reason for leaving Canada."

Eli took in this information, remaining silent.

"I did hear her mention something about her mother getting a job by your mother's help in another state…"

"…yeah," Jose replied.

Silence overwhelmed them until Eli finally said something.

"I gotta go." He said suddenly, standing up.

"Oh, well, it was nice seeing you again." Jose nodded.

Eli didn't reply back. Instead he left the apartment, running down a dozen of staircases as he exited the apartment building. He got back into his hearse and sat there, thinking hard about everything.

xxx

"So where were you Saturday? I tried calling you but you didn't pick up." Bianca told her.

"Oh, sorry about that. I was hanging out with some old friends." Imogen responded.

"Your old friends from…?" Bianca asked, wary of Eli's presence on the other side of the table. Also shooting glances at Eli, Imogen nodded.

"Okay, listen up!" Mr. Nieves called from the front of the classroom. "Everybody needs to get into a group of four! Pronto!"

"Looks like we already have a group of four!" Noah exclaimed cheerfully, referring to him, Eli, Imogen, and Bianca. "Ha, and we didn't even have to move. Suckers!"

Imogen rolled her eyes at Noah, turning back to the front of the class where Mr. Nieves stood, ready to give further instructions.

"_...I can't believe Eli likes that slut..." _a voice whispered from behind them.

Imogen tensed as she heard this. However, she kept looking forward, determined to ignore the voice that belonged to none other than Isabella, she was like a 2.0 of Marisol.

"_Yeah. Out of all the girls he could have taken to Manhattan, he took that bitch." _Another voice whispered.

"_What the hell was he thinking? She's such a loser. Such a wannabe."_

Ignore them, she told herself. She clenched her fists together, forcing herself to breathe in and out…in and out…

_It's not going to happen again, _She told herself.

_Things are different now. Different. It won't happen…not again…no. It can't._

"Hey, are you okay?"

Sharply, she turned to Eli. Blinking, she tried to make sense of Eli's words. When she did, she nodded. "Yeah. Perfect. No need to worry."

He just stared at her as if convinced otherwise, but said nothing in response.

Mr. Nieves explained their assignment.

"Sooo," Bianca said, turning to Eli. "What's with you, Dr. Doom? You're being awfully quiet today. Well, more quiet than usual anyways."

Eli narrowed his eyes at the curly-haired brunette.

"Nothing," He responded coldly back.

Imogen lifted an eyebrow, frowning slightly. Was he this way because of what she said to him in Manhattan, on Christmas day? About her possibly being Imogen? She hadn't realized what a touchy subject she was for him.

Suddenly, Eli's eyes flicked her way. She took notice of this, glancing away as she blushed lightly.

"Whatever, Mr. Grumpy pants," Bianca replied, rolling her eyes. She wrote another answer down on a worksheet Mr. Nieves gave them. "Hmmm…let's see, white diamonds are in the gold family or silver family?"

"Silver, duh!" Noah exclaimed dramatically.

Imogen turned to her own worksheet.

_**Identify which metal is being described:**_

_**11. Very rare and is expensive. **__**White Gold**_

_**12. Sparkles like eyes.**_

Imogen had to stop and think about this one. "Which metal sparkles like eyes?" She asked, clueless on which metal was being described.

"The Silver metal," Eli responded. "You should know that, He added, finally glancing up to look at her.

Imogen nodded. "Okay, thanks."

"Are you sure?" Bianca asked. "It could be Gold."

Eli shook his head. "It's the Silver one."

"And how do you know it's the Silver one and not the Gold one?" Bianca asked, still not convinced it was the Silver metal.

Eli's eyes darted to Imogen for a millisecond before turning back to Bianca. "The metal is supposed to sparkle like eyes, isn't it?"

"It still doesn't explain how you remember the metal is Silver," Bianca responded back, glaring at him.

"Her eyes sparkle, don't they?" He growled, pointing his index finger towards Imogen.

Bianca turned towards her. "Yeah, but," She said, turning back to him. "Her eyes are brown."

Eli face-palmed himself.

"Hey, that's a clever way of remembering which metal is being described!" Noah chirped. "I'm going to have to remember that for our next test!"

Eli just scowled, looking annoyed. Imogen just stared at him though, confused.

Just then the ten-minute bell rang.

"Keep working!" Mr. Nieves ordered.

When the bell that dismissed the class ten minutes later, she turned in her worksheet along with the rest of her group before following Eli out the door.

"Hey, are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine," He responded gruffly back, walking passed her. She walked beside him, matching his pace, and placed a hand on his arm, halting him.

"Are you sure?" She asked. Her hand was still on his arm. "You've been acting pretty odd lately. Is this because of what I said to you at Manhattan?"

Eli just remained quiet, his emerald green eyes staring intensely back into hers. She shifted uneasily, feeling as if he was able to see right through her.

"Actually," He said suddenly, startling her. "There is something…" Imogen felt her insides jump when he grabbed her hand and led her around a corner, behind a building, away from everybody else.

She felt uncomfortable as he watched her.

"Eli, what is it?" She questioned, tilting her head slightly.

Her short hair fell over her shoulders along with her bangs which fell in front of her eyes. She was about to brush them away, but Eli brushed them away first. She blushed as his fingertips grazed her forehead, and she felt even more nervous now as he stood closer to her. Looking up, her eyes met with Eli's once more.

Immediately she felt conflicted. Emotions began to boil over her, and she felt scared by the sudden whirlwind of emotions she felt.

"Eli?"

"Shh. I need to see if…" He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he leaned in. Imogen gulped nervously as she felt her eyes flutter close. Their lips touched, but only for a few seconds. She was surprised when she felt nothing out of this. His lips had brushed hers but that was all. She felt cold all over.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Eli wasn't looking at her. He didn't even say anything as he walked pass her and headed for his next class.

Imogen watched him go, dazed.

_What was that all about?_

**Author's Note: End of chapter 14.**

**Does Eli know she's really Imogen now, or…?**

**Let me know what you think in the reviews! (;**


	15. Blood Diamonds

**Author's Note: I'm back in school and I'm officially a niner! haha, freshman. ^_^ So far, school isn't all that bad, but I might regret saying this later.**

**You guys are lucky that this update was very fast. (; Hehe, enjoy this amazing piece of shit that is written by me.**

Eli didn't talk to her for the rest of the week, and she didn't bother to try to make conversation with him. When he wasn't looking though she would shoot him nervous glances, wondering why he was acting so strange all of a sudden.

It wasn't until two weeks later when they finally spoke to each other again.

Imogen looked up as she felt someone hover above her desk.

"So what, are you and Eli broken up now or something?" Isabella sneered at her, flipping her rose-colored curls over her shoulder.

Imogen frowned. "We were never going out."

Isabella raised an eyebrow, her hands on her hips. It was obvious she didn't believe her.

"Fine," She sighed. "Believe whatever you want, Isabella. Now can you go?"

"Not until I hear the _fabulous_ reason why you two broke up," Isabella responded, laughing. "So let me guess: he finally got sick of you and your moody ways? He decided he didn't like girls who wears all black one day and then all pink the next? Too confusing for him I guess. Or did he finally just wake up and smell the roses and realized he could do so much better than _you_?"

Imogen sighed, folding her arms over her chest. She shook her head. "It's so sad how insecure you are, Isabella. Maybe you should go see a counselor about your insecurity problems, hm?"

Isabella just smirked. "I don't have insecurity problems, Genny. But maybe you should go see a counselor about your phobia with addition and subtraction."

"I got over my phobia in fifth grade," She responded icily back, glaring at the rosette.

"If you say so," She laughed, walking away.

Imogen glared at the back of her head, her fists clenched in her lap. She felt tears beginning to sting in her eyes. She wasn't even dating Eli, and already her relationship with him was under speculation from the rest of the student body. Calling her names and everything else under the sun, coming up with vicious rumors about what they do and don't do. She couldn't figure out why people just couldn't just mind their own business for once.

As she blinked back the tears threatening to fall from the frustration and anger welling up inside her, she thought about her kiss with Eli exactly two weeks ago. She felt more tears well up inside her as she then thought of their wonderful time in Manhattan. She then thought about all the wonderful, fun and good moments they had back when they were dating in Canada. Lastly, she thought of Prom, the night she lost everything. She felt anguish numb her whole body.

_I can't do this again, _She thought suddenly. _I can't go through this again. I can't deal with the rumors and the speculation. I can't deal with the mean girls and their sneers. I can't deal with dating Eli again…_

With those thoughts in mind, she made a decision.

She would tell Eli.

As if reading her thoughts, the bell for school to end rang. Quickly she gathered up her belongings, and hurried out of the class. She saw Eli immediately, his dark brown hair color standing out among all the rest.

She pushed her way through the crowd, knocking over people on the way.

"Eli!"

The brown-haired man turned around as he heard his name being called. His eyes traveled through the crowd, stopping when they saw her. She ran towards him, stopping in front of him.

"There's something I need to tell you," She said. Eli just looked at her, his eyes cold. Imogen felt nervous suddenly in his presence; she was confused by the coldness in his eyes.

The school grounds emptied as kids hurried to their buses and parent's cars, soon leaving only the two of them. Imogen felt tongue-tied, suddenly not sure why she had called him, her mind blank.

Why did she call him here again?

"Well?" Eli demanded, his voice as cold as his eyes.

Imogen's eyes widened in shock from his coldness. "I…I…" She swallowed, thinking hard. "I came here to tell you something…" She told him, suddenly not sure she wanted to tell him who she was when he was in this kind of mood.

"Well, get on with it," He growled.

Imogen remained silent however, tongue tied once more. She felt a lump growing in her throat.

Eli rolled his eyes, grunting in annoyance. He walked pass her.

"I don't have time for this crap, _Imogen._"

Imogen's eyes widened, and she turned towards him, and having stopped too to turn around to face her, her eyes met his. All she saw in his eyes was an ice cold wall.

She understood. He hadn't accidentally slipped her name this time. This time he was calling her out for who she really was. Which in this case, was a fraud. A fraud named Imogen.

Ashamed, she averted her gaze to the ground.

"I was going to tell you," She told him, her voice soft.

"You didn't need to tell me," He responded coldly back.

She looked up again. "I didn't mean to deceive you. You just thought…and I…"

Eli's glare hardened and she stopped talking, pursing her lips together. It was funny how she felt perfectly warm up until the moment she met up with him again. His glare was colder than traveling in nothing but underwear during a blizzard in Manhattan. It gave her a chill.

When she found the nerve to speak again, she found herself looking pass his shoulder.

"I didn't ask for this to happen," She said softly, sighing. "I didn't ask to move to New York and I didn't ask for you to also move here."

"And neither did I," Eli growled.

Imogen just nodded grimly.

"I know you're mad at me. You probably even hate me. You probably hate me even more than you already did. And I suppose you will never forgive me for this."

He remained silent, still glaring icily at her.

"But for your information, I still haven't forgiven you," She said. She looked back at him, giving him her own frosty glare. "I still haven't forgotten what you did to me at Prom."

"You brought that on yourself," Eli growled. Imogen just brushed pass him.

"And you brought _this_ on yourself," She responded smoothly back. She glanced back at him over her shoulder and smiled. "Isn't karma an ass, Eli?"

"What goes around, comes around," He agreed blankly.

With that said, the two departed ways, a cold atmosphere settling in over them, both their hearts guarded with iron.

xxx

"_Not until I hear the _fabulous_ reason why you two broke up."_

Lipstick was on the mirror.

Diamond rings were out, scattered across the bathroom counter.

"_So let me guess: he finally got sick of you and your moody ways? He decided he didn't like girls who wear all black one day and then all pink the next?"_

In the mirror there was a brown-haired girl with a straightening iron in one hand, nails recently painted a bright pink, her make up bright and cheery and her clothes materialistic. A silver I necklace sparkled in the bathroom's weak light along with several silver bracelets and diamond rings.

Smoothing the short-sleeved leather jacket she wore over a black and white striped shirt, she smiled at herself in the mirror, running a hand through her hair. Turning a few degrees, she marveled quite conceitedly at how amazing her butt looked in the dark blue jean skirt with amber tints and fringed edges.

"_Or did he finally just wake up and smell the roses and realized he could do so much better than _you?_"_

Imogen smirked, flipping her hair over her shoulders.

"Bitch, I'll show you just how much better I am than _you_."

xxx

White heels clicked against the hard concrete floor. A small metallic hand bag with a long skinny strap that held all of Imogen's belongings for the school day swung from beneath her armpits. The wind blew at her hair, making it fan out behind her. Her hips swayed as she walked, and Imogen knew she must have looked like a model doing a catwalk as she crossed the school grounds.

It was like the part of a movie where a totally gorgeous girl suddenly walked in and time slowed down as everybody gawked at her. She could almost hear a song playing in the background to go with the perfect moment.

She could feel eyes boring into her back and she smiled at the guys she caught staring at her, wide-eyed, and practically drooling over her transformation. She even smiled at the girls, who were glaring at her with envy.

Just then Imogen caught sight of Isabella who looked like a volcano ready to blow as she stomped all the way from across the school to accost her. Imogen smiled at the auburn-haired devil.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Genny?" She spat.

"Now, now, I think we're both grown up enough to stop calling each other by silly nicknames and start calling each other by our real name, Bella," she responded smoothly back.

"Don't call me that," She hissed. "You dirty slut!"

Imogen just smirked. "Oh, so it's okay for you to dress this way everyday, yet when I start dressing the same way _I'm _a dirty slut? Hypocritical much, Bella?"

"Shut up," She snarled.

She laughed. "You don't have to be jealous Isabella just because all eyes aren't on you for once." Turning away, she brushed pass her. "The spotlight can be shared, Isabella, so don't be a spotlight hog."

Imogen smiled. She knew she had won this round.

Just then the bell for school to start rang.

"Whoa, looking good," Bianca said as she entered English. Imogen smiled, grateful for the compliment, and took her seat next to the curly haired brunette.

Imogen knew everybody (or at least every boy in class minus a certain dark brown-haired boy who hadn't shown up yet) was staring at her, amazed by her transformation from weird-gothic-girl-and-even-weirder-pink-frenzy-girl-every-other-day to classy material girl in one day.

The one-minute bell rang and in walked Eli. He took one glance at her and then looked away, clearly unimpressed. She just rolled her eyes however. She wasn't out to impress him anyway. She just wanted to show-up Isabella, something she had already accomplished. Tomorrow she would be back to wearing her old Canada clothes, finally packing away her New York clothes…well, except the skinny jeans. And the shirts.

"Back to wearing your old Canada clothes?" Bianca asked.

She shook her head.

"Nah! My style in Canada was more of a wild girl with crazy punkish outfits that was very different! This outfit is just something to show up Isabella."

"Did you show her up?"

"Yup."

The two high-fived, giggling.

"Okay, everybody calm down…And boys, stop drooling, and turn your eyes to _me_!" Imogen giggled as all the boys reluctantly turned their eyes away from her and towards Ms. Dowell.

She could see Isabella on the opposite side of the classroom, who looked ready to blow a fuse. Eli, who sat two desks ahead of her, looked indifferent aside from the clenched fists on his desk. Imogen smirked at this.

Isabella: 0  
>Eli: 0<br>Imogen: 2

Such sweet payback.

"Okay, I need everybody to find a partner!" Ms. Dowell announced. Her and Bianca immediately linked arms. This resulted in all the boys turning away, disappointed, as they searched for new potential partners.

Imogen casually glanced around the classroom, looking for Eli, to see who his partner would be. To her surprise (okay, so maybe she wasn't really _that_ surprised) she saw Isabella talking to him, and to her even greater surprise, she saw that Eli was listening to her and even said something back. The greatest surprise of all though was that Isabella smiled, for once not scowling from rejection.

Just then Eli turned her way. Quickly, she glanced away, pretending to examine her nails.

"Okay, so does everybody have a partner? Okay, good! So what we will be doing is a mini book report on the book we've been reading in class: you can choose to do a skit on a small but important part of the story, you can write a song based on the story or an important part of that story, or you can choose to do a collage with pictures that represents important events in the story. Either way, you'll be presenting your book report in front of the class. You have until Thursday to finish. Everybody will be presenting either Thursday or Friday. You have all day today and tomorrow. Any questions?"

A boy raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"How long does the skit have to be?"

"Somewhere between three to five minutes," Ms. Dowell responded. "I would like to keep the presentations short. Any other questions?"

The class was silent.

"Good. Begin."

"We should do a skit," Bianca said immediately.

"Agreed," Imogen said.

"Now which skit should we do?" Bianca murmured, flipping through the pages of the book they were reading, _Catching Fire _ by Suzanne Collins. The author of The Hunger Games. Imogen loved the Hunger Games series as a matter of fact.

The book was suppose to be about a beautiful girl named Katniss who has won the Hunger Games in the first book. She and her partner from District 12, Peeta Mellark must prove that they are lost in love with each other, not that it was entirely an act just for the viewers who were watching the games.

"We should do the scene where Katniss hears Prim's voice." Bianca exclaimed suddenly. "That's an important scene since Katniss thinks she might have been part of the games."

"But isn't that scene kind of long?" Imogen asked.

"Well…" Bianca turned a few pages. "Kind of…but it's not like we need to do the whole scene. We can shorten the scene."

"Okay then," Imogen said, taking out a notebook and pencil. She flipped to the first empty page in the notebook and then titled the page, scripping words down on the paper. "So let's list the main details that happened in the scene and then decide what to exclude."

"Alrighty then. Well, first Katniss hears Prim practically screaming, thinking she suddenly went into the games. As she runs, she discovers a jabberjay, and Prim's voice was somewhat coming from that jabberjay."

"Didn't Finnick hear Annie's voice as well?" Imogen asked, handing her notebook to Bianca as she read it over.

"Yeah, but we should write about Katniss hearing her cry because like...well...she is the main character in the story." Bianca stated.

"Fineee." Imogen agreed.

"I guess this should do. Now we just have to write an actual script," Bianca said. "I can do that, but we will need two copies. One for me, and one for you."

"And another copy in case one of us loses ours," Imogen said.

"Perfect!"

"Ooh!" Imogen exclaimed suddenly. "We should dress up for the skit!"

"Oh, that would be so much fun!" Bianca agreed. "But first: whose going to do who?"

"I can do Katniss," Imogen offered. "I don't mind dressing in hunting clothes and having my hair into a small braid since it's cut short..."

"Okay, then I'll be Primrose's voice, or shall I say, the jabberjay," Bianca said. "I don't have anything that is too expensive though."

"That's okay; you can borrow some of my mom's stuff," She replied. "My mom has some pretty old-fashioned, expensive looking clothes in her closet. She won't even know they're missing."

"Awesome! Then—" Bianca stopped talking suddenly, her eyes glued to something behind her. Curious, Imogen looked behind her, wondering what Bianca was looking at. Then she saw what—or _who_—she was staring at.

"Looks like Isabella is trying to steal Dr. Doom," Bianca said quietly.

"I don't care." She said, turning back around. "They're only partners for two days. Nothing is going to come out of it."

Bianca just pursed her lips and nodded, still not fully convinced.

xxx

Three class periods and a lunch period later and they were in Geology.

The first thing Imogen noticed when she walked in was that Isabella was sitting next to Eli and was actually talking to him. And what more? _He was talking back._ As far as she knew he didn't even like Isabella because she was one of those "stuck up, popular girls". Just then Eli turned away. She didn't miss the smirk that crawled onto his lips upon seeing her.

That bastard.

_You're on, _she thought.

Fluffing up her hair she took her usual seat across from him, and pointedly ignoring the two in front of her, took a pencil out from her backpack. While taking her homework out she "accidentally" dropped her pencil. Like she guessed. Richie, who sat right at the table behind her, leaned over and picked it up for her.

"I believe you dropped this," He said, flashing her a charming smile. Richie was one of the most popular guys at school and was a really hot guy, so she knew he probably expected her to be swooning right now. However, she did not swoon.

"Thank you," She said, taking the pencil back from him, and flashed him her own smile, which made _him_ swoon.

Still ignoring Isabella and Eli, she turned back to her homework to check over answers.

"Hey, I think Richie likes you," a voice said suddenly. Looking up, she saw Noah who was smirking at her. _Thank you, Noah, _she thought, truly meaning it.

Imogen just pursed her lips together, and casually glancing over her shoulder to look at Richie, said, "Does he now?"

"He certainly can't stop staring at you," He responded. "Actually, everybody's been staring at you today. I mean, what's up with that? Is everybody having some sexual fantasies today or something?"

Imogen just laughed at this, actually amused.

Bianca, who had just entered the classroom a few moments earlier, said, "Nah! All the guys just have the hots for Imogen today."

"Bianca!" Imogen said, playfully smacking her arm.

"Meanwhile all the other girls, minus me of course, are just green with envy over Imogen," Bianca said, grinning. She then glanced at Isabella whose eyes were now narrowed at her and snickered.

Also glancing over at them, Imogen saw Eli lean over suddenly, whispering something in her ear that made her giggle. Unconsciously, Imogen felt her hands clench underneath the table. She forced herself to look away and turned her attention elsewhere.

_That bastard._

She could hear her teeth ground together as she heard Isabella say "that is so true!"

_And that bitch!_

"Hey, Genny," a voice called behind her.

_It's Imogen, you jackass!_ She thought defiantly in her mind as she reluctantly turned to face Richie, a forced smile on her face.

"Yeah?"

He gave her another swoon-worthy crooked smile which would have had any other girl red in the face and gasping for breath. "Here's the deal: me, you, Saturday night, at six, my place."

Smiling, she responded back, "Here's the deal: me, friends, Saturday night, all day, not your place." Turning away, she called over her shoulder, "I'm busy."

_Burn._

Now if only that was Eli…

"That was cold," Bianca said.

Imogen just shrugged. "What? I'm busy that day. I'm not going to cancel on my friends for some guy." Then she smiled, an idea having suddenly popped in her head, "Hey, you should come with us Bianca! We're just going to be hanging around New York all day, so you should come and finally hang with us again."

Bianca raised an eyebrow. "Again...?" She asked confused, she was about to say something, before Isabella finally broke her sentence.

"You actually have more than one friend, Genny? A gang of wannabe losers I suppose, just as tacky and untalented as your _other_ friend."

Imogen probably would have smirked confidently as this remark, quickly shooting back her own remark on how she was just jealous and insecure and badly needed to grow up, however she quickly picked up on the remark she made about Bianca.

"_Excuse me?"_ She said, quickly standing up. She could feel the anger crawl beneath her skin as she watched a smirk crawl onto Isabella's lips.

"Bianca is not tacky and untalented you dumb, eavesdropping little red-haired—!"

"Imogen, calm down!" Bianca interrupted, looking nervous. "Just ignore the whore."

Imogen looked at her then back at Isabella who was still looking victorious over making her mad. She thought of the last few moments and recalled the words that had gone over in her mind when she was yelling at Isabella and realized she had been seconds away from calling Isabella a skank.

_She is a skank, _she thought, still seething over Isabella's remark over her best friend.

"What's the matter, Genny? Cat got your tongue?" Isabella smirked, obviously pleased with the sudden turn of events.

She wanted to flip Isabella off right then and there. She wanted to tell Isabella to go back to whoring over Eli like the whore she was, however she held off those words, deciding to be the better of the two. She was also aware of Mr. Nieves watching the two of them from the corner of his eyes as he got the work for today ready.

And so instead of telling Isabella off in front of the entire class, she turned her back to her and promptly ignored her for the rest of the class, despite the rude comments Isabella was now clearly making to Eli just across from her.

So silently she seethed throughout all of Geology, calling Isabella and Eli every dirty name under the sun and rambling to herself about what a traitor Eli was for even listening to Isabella.

That didn't stop Isabella though from confronting her and Bianca after class though.

"Hey Loser," She said, looking directly at Bianca. She then turned her stare, and smirk, to Imogen, "Hey Reject." Isabella was clinging onto one of Eli's arm, that nerve-gratingly annoying smirk on her lips. Seeing this made Imogen feel even closer to snapping a fuse.

Imogen was just going to walk pass her, but her (and Eli, being dragged wherever Isabella went) blocked her path.

"What are we, kindergarteners?" She asked, an annoyed scowl on her face. "Get out of my way, Bella."

"But why?" She asked innocently. "We're just having a conversation together."

"You call this a conversation? I call it being bullied," Imogen scowled. "Now get out of my way."

"Oh, don't be mad," Isabella cooed, her smirk turning devilish. Imogen knew what was coming next and she felt herself tense as she felt herself reach her boiling point. "Just because Eli doesn't like you anymore."

Imogen felt the anger wash over her like a heat wave, but she did her best to ignore it, as she tried her best to keep her voice as level as low as possible, "You know what you skank whore, I really don't give a damn if he does or does not anymore because" —she turned to glare into the emerald green eyes of Eli— "This isn't even about him."

Eli just scowled back at her. "At least I'm not a liar," He said.

"I never lied to you; it's not my fault you get tricked so easily," She responded coldly back.

"Well, maybe you should stop acting like somebody you're not," He retorted back.

Imogen was silent for a moment, shocked at these words, before finally replying back, "I'm not acting like somebody I'm not. I'm acting like the person I am at that moment."

"And right now you're acting like a wannabe cool person with those cheap, ugly clothes and fake silver accessories you're wearing," Isabella sneered.

Suddenly Imogen smiled. "They're not fake."

"Please," Isabella said, rolling her eyes as if she believed otherwise. "I know a fake when I see one."

"Well then you must be seeing your reflection in my accessories, _hun,_" Imogen said, still smiling as she gently caressed the silver diamonds on the necklace her deceased father had given her. "Because these accessories are real. Even ask Eli. He'll tell you the _truth_." she said, purposely emphasizing _truth._

"Well?" Isabella asked, scowling as she turned towards Eli. Imogen turned to him too, her smile gone as she waited for his response, confident.

Eli hesitated, then said, "They're real."

Isabella turned away from him, scowling.

"And the silver accessories aren't the only real things. The diamonds are real, too," She smirked as she showed Isabella the silver-and-diamond ring on her right ring finger that she had received from Eli on Christmas. She then turned to him. "Isn't that right, Eli?"

Eli just remained silent.

"You really do have no life," Isabella hissed, furious now.

"I can tell you I have more of a life than you," Imogen retorted, her smile vanishing as she returned to glaring at Ami.

"At least I have a boyfriend!" She almost screamed back.

"Isabella!" Eli hissed under his breath. "We're not boyfriend and girlfriend!"

"But you agreed to go on a date with me, so we are dating!" Isabella declared, looking victorious again as she turned to smirk at Imogen. Imogen didn't hear her though. She felt as if an ice cube had gone down her back.

"Whatever," She said quietly, brushing pass the two of them. "Have fun being couple of the year. You two are perfect for each other."

xxx

"Why did you do that?" Eli asked, annoyed.

"Do what?" Isabella replied innocently.

"Tell her about a date which we haven't even _had_ yet," Eli retorted as they walked together to Algebra, a class they had together.

"Well, she was gloating!" Isabella whined.

"Only because _you_ started it," He responded. "And it's just one date. It's nothing special to be gloating about."

"It is when your date is the most attractive and strongest guy in school," She responded, smiling at him. Eli sighed. She frowned at his sigh, and then sighed too. "I'm sorry. I know I said I would try to be nicer, but…it's just…I don't know how to, I guess…there's just something about her…"

"You are jealous of her, aren't you?" Eli asked blankly.

Isabella scowled immediately. "Of course not! Why would I be jealous of _her?_"

"Bella."

Isabella sighed, pouting slightly. "Sorry…but I'm still not jealous of her!"

"Just try to be nicer to Imogen from now on, got it?" He said.

The rosette sniffed. "Fine. But why do you get to be all cold towards her and stuff?" She asked. "If I have to be nicer to her, then you should too."

Eli's eyes darkened suddenly. "That's different."

"How?"

"It just is," He responded coldly back.

_Geez. Talk about a hypocrite, _Isabella thought as she rolled her eyes and sighed, following Eli into Algebra where the class was held daily.

"What is it between you two anyways?" Isabella asked, much to Eli's annoyance. He couldn't understand why she just couldn't drop the subject. She got her date with him, shouldn't she be happy? "I mean, it's like there's some hidden story to you too, something that is a mystery to the world that only you two know. What's up with that?"

"It's nothing," Eli growled.

"You two went out at one time didn't you?" Isabella continued, frowning curiously. "I mean when you first came here, you two hated each other, then you two were acting like, smitten with each other, and now you're like giving each other the cold shoulder."

"Isabella," Eli growled. _Just shut the hell up already. Shut up!_

But she wouldn't. She just wouldn't get the message.

"I'm just curious," She responded, shrugging. "So did she like break up with you, or did you break up with her? I mean gosh, she went from Goth girl to glamour diva all in one day."

"_Damn it, Isabella, shut up!" _Eli hissed, his eyes blazing.

Isabella's frown deepened, and she shifted her posture uncomfortably as their teacher called out names, taking attendant. She was silent for a moment, then said, unable to keep her thoughts or opinions quiet for a moment longer,

"I'm just saying, it's like she's trying to show you off," She said quickly. "Going from Goth girl to glam girl, after a break up, is like saying 'screw you' in girl language. It doesn't help that every guy is suddenly ogling her up, too, ya know?" She cringed at this last part, sniffing, still bitter over the fact it wasn't her the boys were ogling at. "I mean, she has basically moved on. 'Bye, bye. You had me, but you lost your chance, and so now I'm moving on with the rest of my life.' A life that doesn't include _you_."

Eli was aware that Isabella was just rambling off her thoughts, a habit of hers that could be extremely annoying at times, especially now.

"Bella, shut the fuck up already!" He snarled just loudly enough to catch the interest of the people next to them, his eyes literally cold flames as he turned to face her. Eli took in Isabella's eyes as they widened and her mouth which had dropped open a bit in shock. Closing her mouth, she sniffed, turning away from him, feeling upset.

_Stupid mouth, _Isabella thought. _Why can't I just keep it shut for once?_

It was too late to ask herself that though. The words were out and said, echoing in Eli's mind, bringing him to a boiling point. Saying the words over in his mind though, Eli realized the truth in the words. Imogen was moving on. By reverting back to her old self, she had told him 'screw you, I'm through with you, I don't need you'.

The words still echoed in Eli's mind as he listened to Wake give a quick lecture about the importance of figuring out 5y+15. y=2. This, of course, was a problem he may have solved in eighth grade.

As his last class slowly passed by, he thought about all her actions and words that day. As he did, he felt his fists clench together and he had to ground his teeth together in order to help restrain his anger and sudden need for vengeance.

_She thinks this is a game, _he realized that period. _A game she can win…but she's wrong. She's not going to win. Not this time. _

The bell for school to end rang.

All the anger and cold resentment for everything around him that had been doing him wrong all his life was boiling up inside him, slowly but steadily building up. Maybe all this anger and resentment, like hot water, had been building up inside of him for a long time, ever since Julia left, gone unnoticed until now when he most needed to vent.

And what better way to vent then hurt the one you love?

Not physically, of course. Never physically.

He didn't know what it was though that brought this sudden wave of anger and resentment upon him. Maybe it was his inner-instincts to be the alpha male. Maybe it was just to show her she was wrong.

Eli spotted Isabella, not far off, looking irritated at something Imogen was saying to another girl, a new girl—Lyra—about something. Her lips were pursed, however, indicating she _was_ trying to be a little nicer to Imogen, if only by controlling her temper and keeping a few nasty remarks to herself.

Imogen spotted him first, her eyes narrowing in suspicion and wonder as she watched him approach, nodding and occasionally responding to Lyra about something they were talking about.

Eli felt a smirk slide over his lips as he walked over to Isabella, Imogen's eyes still on him he knew, as he slid an arm around her waist pulling her close.

Isabella looked speechless at this move.

Finally, she said: "Oh, my."

His smirk widened as out of the corner of his eye he saw Imogen's hands balled into fists at her sides, her face transforming into anger.

They made eye contact.

It was just for a moment, but in that moment one thing was made clear:

It was on.

xxx

"Blood diamonds," as Mr. Nieves was explaining a few days later in class, "are like any other diamonds. Or at least, they look like any other diamonds. Blood diamonds are also referred to as conflict diamonds or war diamonds, and are diamonds that come from war. That is the biggest difference between a blood diamond and a regular diamond. Blood diamonds fund war in lower, usually undeveloped regions."

It was Friday that day, and to say the least, it was not Imogen's most favorite day so far.

First, the day started off with English where the remaining class had to perform their book report. Her and Bianca had already done theirs the previous day, just wanting to get it over with and all, but today Eli and Isabella had to present their book report which happened to be a skit of one of the more romantic parts of the story between Katniss and Peeta. Over all, their skit was seven minutes long and consisted of about five minutes of talking and hugging. (In the book, they had actually kissed for a very long time while Katniss felt some sort of hunger overcome her, which obviously meant she was craving Peeta, as in, sex).

Second of all, she was on her way to third period when she quickly turned into a corner when she bumped into Eli (déjà vu, much?) and unfashionably landed on her butt. Humiliating, yes, but at least he had offered to help her up, even if he acted as if doing so was a great burden to him.

Then thirdly, but most certainly would not be the last of all things to add to the list of horribleness that had been that day, while in aerobics, doing a simple dance routine, she had somehow lost her footing while dancing and tripped and fell in front of the whole class. This was a double loss to her. Not only did her arm now feel bruised and swollen, but she had officially also had her ego bruised as she realized how quickly she was losing her touch with things that were once easy for her: dancing, flips, etc., and could never be a real cheerleader ever again without bringing shame to cheerleaders everywhere. (She used to be a cheerleader in Degrassi).

Of course that was just her dramatic and bruised ego talking. Or maybe it was the painkillers. Thinking of painkillers, she could really use another one. Her arm was beginning to throb again.

_Well, at least Isabella hasn't really been a real bitch lately ever since Tuesday, _Imogen had thought while in the nurse's office waiting for the kind blonde-haired nurse checked up on her and her arm.

She was still aware of the rosette scowling at her from time to time, obviously disagreeing with something she had just said, but Imogen could see she was making an effort at ignoring her and her opinions, thus reducing bitchiness from her.

_Maybe Eli dating her could actually be a good thing, _she thought, although she still felt bitter at the whole idea.

"Here are the permission slips to go on our field trip to Eterna Forest."

Imogen blinked, and realized she had blanked out there for a second. Mr. Nieves had moved on from his lecture concerning blood diamonds to the topic of their field trip to Eterna Forest just next Saturday.

"This permission slip needs to be signed and turned in by Wednesday, _at the latest,_ if you want to participate in this field trip," Mr. Nieves was explaining. "We will be leaving for the forest Saturday morning and will be returning late Sunday afternoon. That means we'll be camping out. We'll be hunting through Eterna Forest for the moss rock, and, if you're all good, we'll also go visit the Old Chateau in the forest."

Excited murmurs rippled throughout the classroom at this remark.

"Along with your permission slip I'll also be passing out a checklist of what you'll need for the trip."

Imogen sighed as she looked over the list, and laid her head on the desk, feeling utterly exhausted. Her head turned towards the window, she could see something like black rain clouds outside along with a dirty fog.

_Gosh, looks like there's a bad storm coming, _She thought to herself, half dazed. She didn't notice the fact that the "clouds" were just on one side of the school. She could also hear a distant wailing in the background.

"Imogen…" Bianca called quietly, softly shaking her hurt arm.

"Ow, quit it!" She grumbled.

"Oops, sorry! I thought it was your other arm you hurt," She said, sweat dropping. "Hey, are you alright?"

Sitting up, she yawned, stretching her arms high up behind her head. "Perfect," she muttered, laying her head down again, this time facing Bianca.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bianca asked. "You look sick."

"I'm just tired," She replied. "It's been a long day."

"Ah."

As the excitement of the field trip died down, the classroom became quiet again, only murmurs now filling the class. The class was so quiet now she could even hear Eli and Isabella talking quietly across the other side of the table.

"So how do you like my outfit today?" Isabella asked.

Eli just grunted a response.

"Oh, come on," Isabella teased, giggling. "You know you like it!"

"It's okay, I guess," He mumbled. There was a moment silence, as if he was just now surveying her outfit, then said, "That top goes really well with your eyes. They're like the same color."

"Really? Do you think so?" Isabella asked, obviously smiling. Imogen felt herself bite her tongue, jealousy churning in her stomach. "I wanted to get a shirt that would match my eyes, but my eyes are like the weirdest green, so yeah…"

"They're not really weird," Eli said. "They are a unique color. It's a pretty color though."

"So, how about my hair? Do you like it?" She asked, sounding truly nervous to hear his answer. "I-I wanted to do something different with it, but…"

"It's looks good straightened."

_Two compliments in one day, _Imogen thought sadly. _Did he ever give me that many compliments a day? _The answer was she truly couldn't remember.

"You're so sweet," Isabella cooed.

Imogen felt her fists clench underneath her desk and she closed her eyes, squeezing them shut to will away the frustrated and angry tears that threatened to fall and help humiliate her even more than she have already been humiliated that day.

_Why does Isabella have to be so nice now, and why does Eli have to compliment her so much? _Imogen yelled silently in her mind. _Am I being mocked or something? Is somebody out there trying to prove to me that I don't deserve Eli or something? That Isabella is much better for him than me?_

_No, _Imogen thought suddenly. _Eli is the only one trying to mock me. He's trying to make me feel horrible for what I did by being nice and possibly dating my rival._

_Well, if he thinks that's going to make me feel bad he has another thing coming! _Imogen thought determinedly, sitting up straight. _You can't bring me down, Eli!_

"Attention students!"

Oh good, that was the announcement.

"For all advanced students who have an advanced english class for 6th and 7th period, due to an incident with the gym, you will be reporting to the gym, room 006, for class! Thank you!"

Say what now?

"What?" Imogen said. She was one of those students who was suppose to have Advanced English next period.

"An incident?" Bianca echoed, equally confused. "I wonder what happened."

Imogen frowned. "I don't even know where the gym is," She realized, voicing this realization out loud. "Isn't the gym next to the lunch room?"

Bianca nodded. "I don't have that class next, but I can show you to the gym since it's on the way to my next class anyway."

"Oh, okay, thanks."

The bell rang for class to end, and about five minutes later, Imogen found herself standing in front of the gym. She watched uncertainly as students who regularly used the gym entered.

"Apparently some student burned down half the gym."

"Huh?" Imogen turned around, seeing Lyra, a girl she recently met, standing only a few feet away, talking to her. "I passed by the gym," Lyra explained. "The left side was burned to a crisp. Poor missus Meridian was bawling her eyes out right in front of it."

Imogen exclaimed, "It was really burned to a crisp?"

Lyra nodded. Together they entered the gym. "Wow, you would think the sprinklers would have turned off."

Lyra shrugged. "You would think," She said. "Maybe they were broken. It's not like the idiots at this school actually check to make sure their crap works."

"Hey! Everybody! Listen up!" Wake's voice rang loudly and clearly through the huge gym, turning everybody's attention to him.

Looking up, Imogen saw "Crasher" Wake was a burly guy. He was big but muscular, slightly intimidating, especially with the weird blue mask thing he wore over his face, like something a wrestler would wear. Actually, now that Imogen thought about it, Wake did remind her of a wrestler.

"Since my class has doubled in size, I've decided today is your lucky day!" Wake declared cheerfully, grinning. "Today you will be working out in PE! Now, I want everybody from my class to find a student from Mrs. Meridan's class; after you find your partner, you will participate in a one-on-one game of basketball! After you're done playing, discuss over your techniques and strategies. I find this to be a great opportunity for all of you to learn more about the other, so get to it!"

_Darn it, _Imogen thought, scowling. She didn't recognize any of the faces that surrounded her, all of them alien to her.

She sighed, about to walk around in hopes of finding someone she actually new or someone who was kind enough to offer her as a partner in playing basketball, but before she could a figure blocked her way. Glancing up, she saw the figure was Eli.

"We'll play," He said decisively. "We need to talk."

"O-oh." Imogen stuttered. "Um, okay then." Quietly the two walked over the other side of the gym where it was a little less crowded and therefore more private. Briefly Imogen wondered where Isabella was. Eli threw her the basketball as she caught it with her hands. Their eyes connected in a silent showdown. Finally, Eli spoke:

"You can make the first move."

"Fine…but first, what exactly do we need to _talk_ about it?" She asked, refusing to break eye contact just yet.

Eli was silent as he waited for her to begin dribbling the ball and running to shoot it in the net. When he determined she wasn't, he finally responded. He hesitated, but only for a second, so nobody noticed his hesitation.

"You changed your image."

Imogen raised an eyebrow and frowned, confusion settling in over her. She began running passed him as she started to bounce the ball. Eli quickly moved in defense as he blocked her from reaching the net.

"My image changed?" Imogen repeated, still confused.

Eli's glare on her hardened. "You cut your hair, you changed the type of make up you wear, and you started wearing clothes you normally wouldn't wear."

Imogen flushed at this remark but met his glare with a glare of her own, her cheek puffed out. "Yeah, so? That doesn't mean anything." She ducked her head under his arm that was blocking her as she shooted the ball towards the net, the ball missing it. This surely ticked her off.

"You even let people call you _Genny,_" He responded angrily back, catching the ball that was bouncing against the hard floor. He began dodging her as she tried to steal the ball from his hands, but he countered every move the brunette went.

"That still doesn't mean anything!" She retorted.

She quickly stole the ball from his hands, anger washing over her as she moved from side to side, close to the net before throwing it into the net. The ball collided right in. This made her smile.

"I never asked anybody to call me Genny," _Well, except Bianca,_ she thought guiltily, biting her thumb again. "As for my 'new image', I just decided to try something new."

"Why?" He demanded, temporarily choosing to forget about the game to focus on the conversation.

"Why do I need a reason?" She retorted back, scowling. "I was moving to a new town, so why not try a few more new things like a new haircut or a new style? It has nothing to do with you, if that's what you're wondering! And who are you critique me on my changed image when you've changed a few things about yourself too!"

"And how exactly did I change?" He challenged.

"At Degrassi High, you dated all those girls to give them a fair chance," She responded icily back. "But then here you turned down every girl. That's how."

"I didn't turn down Isabella."

Imogen felt her fists clench as he said these words, and she was trembling slightly as she responded angrily back, "Yeah, but only after you found out I was me! Before then you wouldn't even give her a second glance or a chance! The only reason why you're going out with her now is to get back at me!"

"Me accepting Isabella's request for a date has nothing to do with you!" He retorted angrily back. "You don't even know her."

"I don't need to know her," She nearly screeched back. "Because she never even tried to get to know me! All she ever did was call me names and find something to make fun of me over!"

"But you never tried to understand why," He responded back.

"And since when are you the king of understanding, huh?" She demanded, feeling anger wash over her, tears beginning to appear in her eyes. She stubbornly pushed them back, and forced herself to breathe. "Honestly, you are just a stuck-up, stupid, insensitive pig! You just think you can date a girl and then stomp all over her like the cold bastard you are!"

"And all you'll ever be is perfect!" He spat, feeling his fists clench at his sides. Finally, he grabbed the basketball that was now lying on the ground, brushing passed her as he made his way to the net, determined to score. He threw the ball up as it collided into the net.

Imogen blinked in surprise, having forgotten completely about the game they were playing. She grabbed the ball once more, bouncing it on the ground over and over as she tried to run pass him but he kept blocking her way in defense.

"Everybody can go wrong for you, but everything just has to go correct itself for you, doesn't it?" He yelled. "You lose everything, but everything just has to come back around for you because the world is just so in love with you, huh?"

"Shut up!" She hissed, blind with rage. She felt her body begin to tremble in anger, in something close to hatred. She was standing there for a while, dribbling the ball in seconds.

"Make a fucking move already!" Eli demanded.

"I'll do it when I want to!" She retorted back angrily. Her mind an angry blur, she quickly threw the ball over his shoulder as she ducked under his arms once more, grabbing the ball into her hands as she threw the ball into the net. Once again, fail.

"You're a horrible basketball player," He drawled. "Hold your hands up higher with the ball then throw it at the net."

Imogen grabbed hold of the ball once more, her hands gripping it tightly. As she held her hands up high above her head, she tried to throw the ball into the net, but again, fail. Eli grabbed the ball in his hands as he threw it up high at the net. Imogen quickly moved to get the ball before it reached the net, jumping high up. She grabbed the ball in her hands then soon fallen hard onto the ground, a glass piercing through her skin.

She screamed out in pain, catching the attention of many others nearby. Falling to her knees, her ankle hurting her like crazy, she hissed in pain.

"Fuck!" Eli cursed, gritting his teeth together. Quickly he ran over and leaned down beside her, studying her wound.

"Stay still," he ordered, grabbing her ankle. "Ow!" She hissed. She slapped his hand away.

Eli scowled at her, already pissed off as it was. "Do you want this thing out of you or not?" He demanded.

"I can do it myself!" She declared icily back, glaring at him.

She then grabbed the large piece of glass that was inside her skin, not knowing why there was a piece of glass around the gym's floor anyway. Also surprising, her cuts from the glass weren't as bad as Eli imagined much to his relief. Blood still dribbled out from the cuts however.

"Shouldn't you be going?" She snapped when she saw Eli was still there. "You've already done enough for one day!"

"In case you didn't realize, I was actually trying to help," He responded back.

"Oh yeah, because throwing the ball too high up for me to catch is helpful," She replied sarcastically, shakily standing up.

"I didn't ask you to jump in the middle," He retorted. "So that was clearly your own fault."

Imogen knew this was true, but it didn't stop her from being mad at him. She winced as she put weight on her right ankle. She wobbled a bit, but Eli held her steady. She glared at him, pushing his hand off her shoulder.

"Quit being so difficult."

"I'm not the only one being difficult," She responded, glaring at the ground. She looked up, directing her glare at him now. "You're the one who started this."

"Don't start on the prom crap again," He snarled.

Imogen felt her eyes burn with tears at these words, the tears like a watery wall, blurring the sight of Eli into a disformed figure, sitting perfectly still, not falling, not retreating. She blinked several times, pushing them back until her eyes were almost cleared again. She looked away from him, her hand over her heart.

"You just don't wanna talk about it because you were being an asshole that night," she said quietly, her fist clenching as her heart pounded against her chest. "And because you were wrong, and you know it."

"Because you're always right, aren't you?" He responded sharply back. "Because you're always so perfect and because everybody loves you."

"Shut up!" She screamed suddenly, whirling around and catching the attention of the students who were playing the game beside them. "I am not perfect!"

"You think you know everything, and you understand everything, but you don't," Eli growled. "You don't. You don't know a thing about what goes on in someone else's life."

"And neither do you!" She yelled back. Seething, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths; when she opened her eyes again, she looked calm, other than the sharp glare she was still shooting at him. "And you know what, Eli; you're just bitter."

"Bitter?" He repeated. He felt a chillness settle over him at Imogen's next words.

"Yes, bitter," She said quietly. Her voice cold, and turning away, she said, "You're just bitter because Julia left you…but that's not my fault Eli. It was just something inevitable."

Eli blinked as he watched the brunette limp away, out of sight. He felt anger settle in every one of his bones, his teeth grinding painfully together, his fingers digging into his arms.

He was angry, at Imogen, at Julia, and most of all, at his self.

She couldn't understand what it was like. She had lost her father though, but not the same way he had lost Julia _and _CeCe. And she didn't know. Only him and Bullfrog knew.

And as he turned, his mind and body weighed down with the harsh truth of Imogen's words, not to mention the day's upcoming events, he suddenly felt, for the first time in his life, defeated.

**Author's Note: This was a pretty long chapter, but who cares? Well I don't, actually, cause like, I want to keep my readers satisfied with as much words they are reading. ;D**

**Do you think Imogen and Eli will continue to fight? or make up sooner?**

**Answer this important question in the reviews.**

**I shall go eat some homemade Beefaroni now.**


	16. Broken Gold

**Author's Note: I believe this story will end around the 20's chapters? I don't even know, but I love this story so much that I don't want it to end. D; But hey, it's not ending any time soon yet, so, yay!**

**Basically, this chapter contains the details of what happened "behind the scenes" during Prom week.**

When Eli came home that day, he found an envelope addressed to him on the counter. Eli raised an eyebrow, not recognizing the messy scrawl as his father's neat handwriting or his uncle's fancy cursive. Not like his father would send him anything, considering they lived in the same house together.

Eli took one glance at the name addressed on the envelope, and was half-tempted to throw it away. Instead he dumped it in a drawer to get lost with many other unopened letters.

Eli could hear Bullfrog in the bathroom, no doubt getting ready. When Bullfrog came down the stairs he was surprised to see Eli in his regular clothes.

"I'm not going," Eli responded before he could even ask.

Bullfrog didn't say anything for a long while. His father was dressed in a full-on formal black suit, tie and all. It was the kind of the outfit one wore at a special occasion, like graduation, or a wedding or funeral.

"We found a letter addressed to you," Bullfrog finally said, softly. "It was from CeCe."

"I'm not going to read it," He responded blankly.

"Eli…"

His voice hardened. "I'm not."

Bullfrog just looked at him, with sympathy and pity. He hated it when he was looked at with sympathy and pity, and Bullfrog knew that, yet he just kept on staring at him with that sad, sad look in his eyes.

"Are you sure you don't wanna go?" He asked again, his voice still soft.

"I'm not going to change my mind," He responded.

"But Eli—"

"I'm not going to change my mind," He repeated, his voice colder. His father couldn't convince him to go months ago, and he wasn't going to be convinced now.

Bullfrog stared at him again for a few moments, sighing sadly, before finally giving up on trying to get him to go. Checking once more that his overcoat was buttoned correctly, Bullfrog headed out the door.

"Goodbye, Eli. I'll be back home around midnight or so."

As Eli watched his father go, he felt odd. As if he was a puzzle that was missing a few stray pieces, or as if a hole had suddenly opened up inside of him. It was weird.

Eli shook his head however.

His mother had just left. It was too late for regrets. What was done permanently was done months ago, and what had been delayed was finally happening tonight. Soon enough everything that had happened in the last year or so would be forgotten or in the past.

Much like Imogen, he was moving on.

He had to move on.

But even so, he felt that feeling lingered in his chest, the feeling of being incomplete.

xxx

Eli stared at a letter in his hand. It was a letter from his mom. It was clearly marked '_To my dear son, Eli Goldsworthy, From your undeserving mother_' in blue pen, sloppy and in cursive. He wasn't sure why he had opened it, but he did, and he had regretted opening it ever since.

Why had he opened the letter? He should have left it alone, sealed; he shouldn't have touched it. The content inside of it, the words, they were horrible…terrible…unforgivable. He would never forgive his mom for this ultimate betrayal.

Eli felt anger wash over him along with something else he didn't dare name.

He crumpled the paper in his hand just when Bullfrog came in; he was shocked by the anger, the hatred, along with that one emotion Eli refused to put a name to, present on his father's face.

"Eli, what's wrong?" He asked, clearly worried. His eyes trailed to the crumpled paper in his son's hand.

"Nothing is wrong!" He retorted, crumpling the paper even more, if possible.

"Eli, is that CeCe's letter?" Bullfrog questioned.

"What does it matter?" He spat.

He knew was being rude and unfair to Bullfrog, but he didn't care. He was beyond furious. He was beyond that word he still refused to name. He felt as if a hole had opened up in his chest, and everything he didn't even know was there was suddenly spilling out of him, driving him insane. Still furious, he threw the crumpled piece of junk at the waste bin, but missed due to the jumbled mess his brain was currently in.

Bullfrog stared at his son worriedly, having never seen him like this before, and wondered what could have possibly upset him that much. He walked over to the waste basket and smoothed out the wrinkles in his wife's letter to his son. When he read the letter he understood, suddenly feeling the same hurt (yes, Bullfrog dared put a name to this feeling) and betrayal as his son.

Despite having not seen his mother since a few weeks after he and Imogen argued in his room before having sex...Bullfrog still felt hurt that his wife would do this to them. That he would do this to himself.

"Eli…you don't have to go to school tomorrow, if you don't feel up to it," Bullfrog murmured softly.

"Whatever," Eli murmured darkly, coldly.

He missed the next day of school. In fact, he missed school almost the whole week.

"_Dear Eli, my son I knew for only eighteen years,"_

Despite Eli's harsh attitude and his feigned indifference, Bullfrog knew Eli felt betrayed the most, felt the most hurt. Bullfrog knew Eli had hoped his mom would come back when she first left; that he believed his mom would come back to care for him. By the time he was ten though he had long given up on that belief and had turned into the colder rock version of himself today. Bullfrog feared to see how Eli would be now, with their recently obtained knowledge of CeCe and his…whereabouts.

"_I see you're doing pretty well without me. How's Bullfrog doing? Don't answer that; I'll probably find out soon enough. You have grown so much, I must say. I wish I can come over and visit you, but you would have walked right pass me, right? Would have served me right after what I did to you and your father..."_

Imogen called Eli everyday he was absent. It was obvious she was worried about him possibly missing prom. Eli always gave her the same excuse: he was sick. Bullfrog would ask him why he didn't just tell her the truth. Eli would always respond, "Which would be?" It was as if he was in denial.

Other times Bullfrog would hear Eli murmuring to himself, saying, "Jose...it's obvious he's lost in love with her...is she in love with him too?"

Naturally Bullfrog was curious about what his son was rambling on to himself about, but he never asked, wanting to give his son space. Honestly, his son was a mess. He looked crazed the first few days.

"_It's amazing how much you resemble your father. Long hair, emerald green eyes… Your father was always quite the handsome man. You even have the same smirk as him. I see unlike me though you followed your father's footsteps. Somehow I feel honored knowing that."_

Eli would watch as he made appointments and arrangements. It unnerved Bullfrog slightly, knowing his son was there. He couldn't help but feel as if Eli was holding so much inside of him that at any moment he would tick and then explode. For that he feared both the explosion and the aftermath. He feared for his son, knowing somehow this loss would only bring more for him somehow.

"_Anyway, I should stop rambling on about nothing. Your father always hated when people rambled and avoided the main point of a conversation. Oh, there I go mentioning your father again. I just can't get him off of my mind can I? After what I did, I'm unable to forget him." _

"Are you going to prom, Eli?" Bullfrog questioned Thursday, the day before the big night, Prom Night. Eli just shrugged, appearing indifferent, even though beneath his outer shell Bullfrog knew he was struggling.

"Who knows. Dances are such a drag," He muttered. "The music is always too loud…too many people grinding…I might go, since Imogen wants to go…" He trailed off, appearing lost for a second, almost crazed.

"_Tell me boy, do you have a girl you can't get off your mind? A girl that you can imagine as your future wife, the love of your life, a girl you can't live without? How about that brown-haired girl, the cheerleader, optimistic; you two are going out aren't you? She's quite the cutie. You seem happy with her. You look like how your father did when he was with me when you're with her." _

"Yeah," Eli was saying monotonously to Imogen over the phone for the third day in a row. "No, I don't think I'm going to be here tomorrow."

_Again, _Bullfrog thought in his mind. His son usually wasn't the type to miss school; his son did have an excuse though for not wanting to go, even if he denied that was the real reason he was skipping out on school.

"I kinda got the message myself," He grunted. "I have to go now. Bye." Eli hung up.

"You should tell her the real reason why you're not going," Bullfrog said quietly from his spot on the couch.

"She doesn't need to know."

"But why not? She's your girlfriend, Eli," He insisted.

"I'll tell her some other day," Eli responded simply. "It's not like she needs to know right away. After all, it doesn't have anything to do with her. Besides, if I told her she would just get upset and it would ruin prom night for her."

Bullfrog was shocked by his son's consideration. He knew his son felt deeply about Imogen, more deeply than he ever had with any other girl, but Eli continued to shock him with the care and consideration he showed for her now and then.

Suddenly Bullfrog noticed the strange look on Eli's face. His eyebrows were furrowed together, his mouth in a straight line of thought and concentration. He almost looked troubled.

He took a seat next to him, watching him, but remained silent. He knew pressing information out of his son would do no good; if his son wanted to tell him something, he would tell it on his own free will. He would just have to wait and see if Eli was willing to express his concerns or thoughts with him, his father.

Eventually, he did.

"_If this girl, this cheerleader I believe, means anything to you, I would like to think you would understand part of the reason why I left. I regret leaving you too, I really do, but the truth is your father has stronger genes than I do, and as such every day I was with you, I was reminded of him. And everyday with you, I was reminded of him not being there with us. I just hope that if you two ever get married, if you and this brown-haired girl, ever elope, you two won't face the tragedy of losing the other. You are strong, Eli, I'm sure, and I'm sure she is too, but unfortunately I'm not strong; I liked to think I was, but now I realize I'm not and I never was. For this, I'm sorry."_

"She's keeping something from me," He said eventually, his eyes focused on the floor.

Bullfrog raised an eyebrow. "You mean Imogen? What could she possible be keeping from you?"

Eli scowled as he said this. "That's the thing: I don't know. But she's been acting weird lately…as if she's keeping secrets from me…it's like she doesn't trust me or something. Or as if she's hiding something she knows isn't right…"

His father frowned at the words of uncertainty coming from his mouth. He didn't really understand what his son meant. "What do you mean?" He saw Eli's eyebrows furrow together even more, uncertainty and hesitation flashing in his eyes.

Finally, he said: "There's this guy, Jose, me and him have been hanging out a lot lately and I consider him as my best friend."

Bullfrog's eyebrows knit together as Eli continued.

"He's really good friends with Imogen too actually, which he is her best friend as well. But...I've been noticing him looking at her differently, like the look of 'I don't want to be just friends with you' look. And he keeps having these bothered facial expressions whenever he sees me and her together.

"Imogen had told him she loves him, and after hearing so much rumors spread across the Degrassi halls, I don't know exactly what to believe.

"I saw her hugging him, and this was at her own house. She looked mad seeing him, as if he wasn't suppose to be there when I was there…he also said something about asking her if she told me some news, but that remark may have been sarcasm…I couldn't really tell…"

Bullfrog's eyes widened suddenly as he realized his son's concerns. "You don't think she's cheating on you, do you?" he asked in disbelief. Imogen certainly didn't seem like the type to cheat on somebody; however, her clothes were a little suggestive…

Eli shrugged. "No. No…" This second 'no' was filled with uncertainty, and he saw Eli's eyes become focused again on the floor as he thought this over, his fists clenching together in what was obviously frustration for what he didn't know and what he wasn't sure of.

"So she's keeping something from you and she hasn't even made an attempt to tell you?" Bullfrog clarified, his eyebrow still raised.

"Well, she did attempt," Eli admitted, something close to guilt flashing in his eyes, but only for a brief second before hardening into cool liquid once more. "But then he interrupted us, ringing the doorbell…I saw him, and…I just left." He shrugged, as if indifferent, but Bullfrog saw his body was tense.

Bullfrog realized then the saying was true. People were scared of the unknown.

"_I don't blame you if you hate me for abandoning you. I wouldn't blame you or father if you never forgave me for abandoning you, but even so I hope maybe you will find a place in your heart for forgiveness…"_

The next day was hard for Eli, Bullfrog knew. It was hard for all of them. Sitting through the ceremony, speeches being made about CeCe and the kind of woman she was with everyone.

Pictures flashed by of their mother: a woman with crazy punkish hair much like their own, well sort of, only a light brown hue, framing her face, silver eyes with a flame lit in them boring down on them, her mouth curved up on a smile as she flashed pearl white teeth. There were pictures of her with Bullfrog.

Pictures of them on prom night, pictures of them on their wedding, family pictures of them together with her and Eli…

The last picture that flashed by was a picture of her and Eli together. Eli was on his back, one small arm wrapped around his mother's neck as he grinned and flashed a peace sign at the camera while CeCe laughed. The Eli in that picture was a much different boy back then; much happier, much more carefree. CeCe was a different woman back then too.

Bullfrog glanced worriedly at Eli, but saw that despite the picture his son still looked as indifferent as he had when the ceremony first began, with his back hunched against the chair, his arms crossed, and his legs spread apart in front of him. He was staring blankly at the picture with no emotions present on his face, and for that Bullfrog was worried.

"_I'm sorry Eli. Tell your father I'm sorry too. And tell him that he has done a good job in raising you. How old is he now? 45? 46? You deserve the best, you and your father, but let's face it, I could have never been the best mother out there with the way my current state of mind was…is."_

Eli glanced at himself in the mirror. Unconsciously, Eli ran a hand through his dark brown locks and straightened his tie. After a few minutes of studying himself in the mirror he decided to ditch the tie and loosened the collar.

"Are you sure you're going to prom?" Bullfrog questioned his son, eyeing him warily.

"Of course I am," He snapped, feeling irritable. "Besides, Imogen wants to go. I'm not going to ruin prom night for her by not showing up."

"I'm sure if you just told her why…"

"I'm not going to ruin her night," Eli repeated again. "I'll tell her tomorrow. After prom is over. I'm not going to make her upset."

"Well, if you say so," Bullfrog sighed, leaving the room.

Eli didn't answer back. Instead he turned back to a crumpled piece of paper on his dresser. He kept reading the last few paragraphs over and over again. Why he still had his mother's letter, he had no idea. Eli ripped the crumpled paper in half, again and again until it was just a bunch of tattered pieces then threw it away, hesitating at the last part.

"_This is going to be my last letter to you. It may be my first letter to you, although not my first attempted letter, but it will be my last one. To be honest, I'm not sure why I'm writing to you. I'm not sure why I'm telling you all this in a letter. I guess it's not because I'm afraid you'll kill me if I told you all this face to face; it's quite the opposite, actually. I guess I'm just scared you'll stop me if I told you what I planned."_

The car rolled to a gentle stop in front of Imogen's driveway and opened the door to his hearse.

Glancing one last time at the rearview mirror, he swept another hand through his locks and pulled at his collar. He had never felt this nervous before or anxious about something. It was honestly an alien feeling to him to feel this way. But then again, the feeling of caring for someone as much as he did Imogen was also alien to him.

He had been contemplating his feelings for the brown-haired beauty for a while now, and he had finally decided last night that maybe…maybe she was the one. She said she loved him, and he preferred to believe that was true, and that he possibly felt the same way back.

_Tonight, _Eli decided. _I'll tell her that. I'll finally say the words back._ When Eli got out of the car, he was actually smiling. His mother forgotten for the mean time, and he was about to surprise his beautiful brown-haired girlfriend and then go to his senior prom with her. Nothing was going to ruin this feeling for him, nothing.

Or so he thought.

Eli walked up to the door, adjusting his collar again, and lifted his hand to ring the doorbell.

"You look really..really beautiful."

Eli froze. He recognized that voice. It was the same voice of Jose. He would recognize that voice anywhere. It was slightly muffled from the door, but he could still clearly recognize the voice.

"Thanks, Jose," he heard Imogen giggle in response.

There were more responses after that, but they were muffled. Or maybe they were just drowned out by the sound of Eli's heart beating like a tornado inside his chest or the voices inside Eli's head of everybody commenting on his and Imogen's relationship along with her possible relationship with a certain short brown-haired boy while his vision was clouded by the memory of Imogen hugging that very boy.

"You look handsome Jose." he heard Imogen say.

_They were right,_ the thought crossed Eli's mind before he could stop it. Suddenly he felt cold, foolish, almost. Similar to the night he found out his mom left him and Bullfrog. Anger and bitterness washed over him, replacing the warm feeling he previously felt for her.

_Not again, _Eli thought, his heart numb with anger. _At prom, I'll break up with her then. Why would she care if I broke up with her, when she can have any damn man she wants?_

He felt more anger wash over him at this thought and he had half a mind to walk away from the door right now and just let her go to prom on her own. He had made a decision though. He was going to stick with it.

He rang the doorbell. He forced himself to look calm and indifferent as she answered the door.

A few seconds later the door opened.

Eli stared at the brown-haired girl in front of him, amazed by her beauty. He was breathless staring at her, and he swore his heart had stopped beating. She looked even more beautiful when that famous smile of hers slid across her face, lighting up her face.

"Who is that?" Eli distantly heard someone shout from the kitchen.

"You're here," She whispered, tears in her eyes as she hugged him. When she pulled away, she looked into his eyes, that smile still on her face. "I thought you were sick?"

Eli blinked, slowly exiting his mesmerized state. Her last words rang in his ears.

Oh yeah.

He was supposed to be "sick". Of course, that was just a lie he had made up just so he didn't have to see her all week. So he didn't have to see anybody.

"I feel better now," He replied calmly back.

"I am so glad you are here!" She said, hugging him again. "I was just thinking about visiting you!" Eli raised an eyebrow.

_In a prom dress? I don't think so._

Of course, he didn't speak those words out loud.

"I guess Immy doesn't need a ride to Prom after all," Eli heard a boy say quietly from the kitchen. Eli felt something in his chest tighten at these words and he felt his anger begin to grow rapidly.

_Someone else was going to take Imogen to prom?_ Eli thought to himself. _Probably that_ other _loser boyfriend she has._ Eli closed his eyes and forced down his anger, taking slow, cool, calming breaths.

_Well, it doesn't matter. I've already made my decision._

"Eli, there's someone I want you to mee—"

"We have to get to Prom," He interrupted her. "Prom has already started, and it's probably already crowded. C'mon, let's go." He took her hand and began to lead her towards his car.

Her face deflated as he did so, but she just sighed, and allowed him to lead the way.

He didn't want to meet the guy she probably planned on leaving him for one day. He would just go insane if he did.

"_I guess you can classify this as a suicide note. Well, goodbye my son. I regret not sticking around longer to watch you grow up."_

**Author's Note: So this is what happened behind the scenes. Sorry that this chapter is so short, but I needed to fit this in somehow.**

**So, what do you guys think happens the next chapter? **

**Lol, you'll see. (;**

**Review.**


	17. Ice

**Author's Note: Yeah, so, the truth behind Eli's story is that CeCe died, she abandoned him and Bullfrog then committed suicide, which angered him. Plus, since he had lost his ex-girlfriend Julia, it pained him more because he lost another person he loves, which is his mom.**

Imogen MorenoMs. DowellAdv. English IV/11 February 2012

Last year, I attended Degrassi High School where I had five best friends, dozens of boyfriends, and spent most of my time at cheerleading practice, working on cheerleading stunts, or at football games or stadiums cheering and waving pompoms around. Back then, my life was lots of fun despite all the hard work I had to put in to juggle my social life, my school work, family and everything else in between. My life wasn't perfect then, after all nobody's life is perfect, but for me life was as perfect as it could get for me. I had friends who were there for me, I had a mom who loved me and cared for me, and was in no serious relationship. But then, one fateful morning, when I met a certain dark brown haired boy, it all changed…

I was just casually writing in my notebook when I took one glance at a rude, arrogant…

But then, with one fateful encounter, everything slowly started to change for me.

Last year I met a certain guy who ended up having a bigger impact on my life than I ever could have imagined. When I first met him, I thought he was arrogant, rude, and overall, a stuck up jerk. But then I was given the chance to know him better; I got to learn more about him, his past, everything. For once in my life I actually started to really _feel_ something for a guy…

For once in my life, I actually felt as if I really got to know a guy. I realized there was more to him than his cold exterior; he had a rough past, and in a way, he was just misunderstood. And not just that; I also felt as if for the first time in my life a guy understood _me. _The _real _me. And then, after a couple months of just being friends, it finally happened: he asked me out. At first I was surprised, but then it was like the most wonderful thing that could have happened to me.

We had dated for about a couple months when everything suddenly started to go haywire. Rumors were going around the school about us, saying shit…

Saying things that weren't even true.

And then to add to all the drama happening at school, I then got more drama at home. My mom dropped the bomb on me after a few weeks of dating Eli…

My mom dropped the bomb about moving to New York. I was mad, of course, because I didn't want to leave my friends and boyfriend behind. Honestly, I was scared that my boyfriend wouldn't accept the idea of a long-distance relationship and he would break up with me. Looking back at it, I realize it was a stupid fear…

…

…

Imogen frowned as she looked at the words printed on the computer screen. Jumbles of letters pushed together, words smashed together, writing out the most personal essay she ever wrote in front of her.

Looking down, she read her writing prompt again.

_Write a three or more paragraph essay on your life-changing event that happened in the last year or so. Explain how your life was before that event happen, then compare it to how your life is now. Essay is due February 1st._

Maybe I should write about some other life-changing event, Imogen thought. I could just write about having to move here, or my mom getting a new job. It doesn't necessarily have to be about Eli…

She knew she wouldn't delete the words in front of her though, or give up on her half-written essay that spoke discreetly of her relationship with Eli. Getting her feelings and the way she saw their relationship and the end of their relationship on her paper, it felt great. As if she was starting to lift a heavy burden off her chest.

Imogen yawned loudly, stretching her arms and hands out behind her, and glanced at the clock on her desk. It was late.

_I better get to sleep_, Imogen thought.

She read over her essay one last time, saved and closed the document before shutting off the computer, and then flicked off the only remaining light other than the moonlight left in her room.

xxx

It was Friday. Only a little more than twelve hours and they would soon be out in the wilderness, exploring the wonders of Eterna Forest and searching the great, mystical moss rock.

The room was filled with chatter as the students worked on a worksheet concerning more evolutionary stones and rocks. In fact, the worksheet Eli and Isabella were working on that very moment concerned the moss rock, the ice rock, and the coronet rock.

Isabella still would not stop gushing to him about their date from almost a week ago despite the fact that it had been a simple date, nothing special: just a dinner date at some cheap fast-food restaurant and a walk around the streets.

She really wasn't that bad once you really got to know her, Eli knew, but there were still several habits of hers that annoyed him to no end, like her ability to blabber on about the same thing for hours.

"Eli?" Isabella questioned.

"Hm?"

"Thank you, again, for the date. I…I know you said it was only for that one time, and there's still nothing going on between us, but thank you anyway. You know, for giving me a chance."

Eli just grunted again.

"I know I can be a bit annoying at times…a lot to deal with and stuff…with me causing drama, so it really does mean a lot to me," She continued.

"It's no problem…" He muttered.

"I know." Isabella smiled.

Eli glanced up as he heard a low male voice followed by a series of high-pitched giggles. Looking up, he saw Imogen grinning at one of the boys who sat behind them. The boy was smirking at her, and said something else in a low voice which again caused Imogen and her friend, Bianca, to burst into giggles. Unconsciously, Eli felt his jaw and fists tighten.

Isabella followed his gaze and saw he was looking at Imogen again. The rosette frowned unhappily at this, and she felt her mouth tighten into a firm line as she forced herself to look away and concentrate on something else. She racked her brain for something interesting to say to take Eli's mind off of Imogen and onto her.

"So, you wouldn't believe the insane rumor I heard today," She started, forcing herself to make her voice loud enough to drown out the two giggling girls only a seat away.

Slowly, reluctantly, Eli turned towards her and only half paid attention to her story, nodding and occasionally grunting to make it appear as if she had his full attention. In truth though, his ears were still on Imogen and Bianca.

Suddenly Mr. Nieves walked up to them.

_Maybe they're getting in trouble for laughing too loud…_ Eli highly doubted that thought considering how loud everybody else was being compared to them.

"Since both you girls are done with your work, I was hoping you could do me a favor," He started.

"Sure, anything," Imogen said.

"Yeah," Bianca agreed.

"Great. Run down to the library and bring back this list of books to me," He told them, handing them both a library pass. "Just hand this list over to the library, and then she'll fetch the books for you two to take. Got it?"

The two girls just simply nodded, as if in understanding.

"Great! Thank you girls so very much!"

Eli watched as the two girls exited the room, still talking cheerfully to each other. With Imogen out of the room, Eli turned back to Isabella only to find she was still talking about some nasty rumor she heard about one of her friends that she believed some guy from the track team had spread just to get back at her for dumping him. After about five minutes of listening to Isabella talk about this, he excused himself to sharpen his pencil which had just broke from pressing down too hard on it.

_Rrrrrrr-rrrrrrrrrrr. _The pencil sharpener growled as it ate and chewed his pencil into a pointy writing tool.

Eli glanced back at his table and saw Bianca and Imogen still hadn't returned from the library. Isabella was currently twisting an auburn lock in her hair, chewing intently on the end of her pencil, her eyebrows scrunched together, as she focused on apparently a completely impossible problem on the worksheet. Everybody else was talking cheerfully amongst each other, only one in a while glancing at the paper in front of them.

_Rrrrr…_

Eli took his pencil out of the pencil-munching machine, and testing the end of it, decided it was finally sharp enough. He started to head back, snippets of conversations reaching his ear. One certain snippet he heard, however, caught his attention.

"Twenty bucks she's not a virgin, man." A cocky football jock was saying. "With a body as banging as hers, there's no way."

"You wanna bet man? I bet she still is," his friend, not a football jock but a well-known tough guy at WGU(White Gold University), responded.

Maybe it was just mild curiosity, or maybe he just somehow knew who they were talking about, somehow knowing when somebody was talking about her. Either way, he stopped about a foot or so from their table, pretending to be interested in what the board said.

"Oh yeah, and how exactly are we going to find out if she is or not?" A third guy, no guy particularly important as far as Eli could tell, queried.

There was a moment of silence, and then, the tough guy said: "I'll sleep with her. Tomorrow, when we're in Eterna Forest."

More silence, then a burst of laughter.

"Dude, what makes you think _Imogen Moreno _will sleep with _you?_" The football jock exclaimed.

_They are talking about Imogen,_ Eli thought. Unconsciously, he felt his hands formed into fists on his sides.

"Easy: I'm good-looking, athletic, the toughest guy here."

"You wish," the unimportant guy snorted, earning more cackles from the two.

"No way, man, not you," The football jock said. "I'll find out if she's a virgin or not. After all, there is no way she can resist me. She digs me. I know it."

"You're a hound," The third guy said.

"More like a pig," The dude muttered.

Without thinking about it, Eli felt his mouth move against his will as he said: "You guys are sick."

The guys turned to him, all three surprised that someone else had apparently heard their conversation. Eli turned around too, glaring menacingly at the three.

The jock scowled. "Dude, what's your problem? We were just kidding."

Eli just snorted. "You have a funny sense of humor."

The unimportant guy and the "toughest guy" glanced at the two uncertainly, deciding it was best to stay out of this argument. Eli was at least half a foot shorter than both of them, and despite the "toughest guys'" previous bragging, they both knew Eli was really the toughest guy at WGU and can easily whoop both their sorry asses in less than three seconds.

The jock would not give up this fight though.

"Oh c'mon, dude; like you never wanted to know if one of the finest looking chicks in class is a virgin or not," He said. "We're all dudes here; we all think alike, don't we?"

"Apparently not," Eli growled. "And you never even looked twice at Imogen until she started wearing short skirts and low-cut tops."

"So?" He drawled, looking bored as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "She looks better wearing skirts and low-cut tops. More for _us_ to see."

Eli wanted to punch this guy in the face. He really did. He could feel the anger boiling in his blood at the thought of what this guy wanted to _do_ to Imogen, and of how he thought of her, as nothing more than a piece of ass. Despite what he said about Imogen and how he acted around her, he still felt an urge to protect her from the dangers of school and the real world.

"Suck a dick, asshole," He growled, "What, you think you can have anybody you want and do anything you want just because you happen to be on the football team?"

The classroom started to quiet down as students became aware of the commotion on the other side of the room between Eli and the jock.

Mr. Nieves' head popped up from his pile of paperwork as he noticed the classroom's sudden change in volume.

"Eli?" he heard Isabella say nervously. He ignored her though.

"Dude, you are the asshole," the football jock declared. His face was now red in anger. "And you know what, I can have anybody I want, and that includes your precious little _girlfriend_, Imogen." A cruel smirk slid across his face. "And just watch, she'll be _mine_ by tomorrow night."

Eli caught the implication in his words, and he felt his muscles tense and his face twist together in anger as he took a step towards him. The jock took a step forward too, his chest puffed out and one sleeved rolled up, ready to fight.

"What is going on here?" Mr. Nieves demanded, standing up.

"You're going down, Emo Boy," the jock growled.

Eli's fist had risen, ready to make that cocky, disrespectful, pathetic excuse of an athlete's nose bleed, and had been mere seconds from doing so, when a voice suddenly called him back to the real world, a body sliding between his and Damon's (he suddenly remembered the jock's name) bodies and held his arm down.

"Eli! Stop! What are you doing?" A girl's angry voice called out to him, and looking down, he realized the body that had stopped him from almost getting suspended was in fact Imogen, the reason why they were even having a fight. He saw she still had a library pass around her neck so assumed she must have just gotten back, saw the fight about to take place, and rushed to stop it. She was brave, Eli had to give her that, cutting in when two men at least a head taller than her were about to fight.

"Stay out of this," Eli hissed.

"No!" She responded stubbornly back. She tugged at his arm, and after glancing back another angry glare at Damon, reluctantly followed her a few feet away. "What the hell do you think you're doing, picking a fight like that? You could have gotten yourself suspended!"

"Since when is it your concern for why I'm picking fights?" Eli snapped. "Just stay out of it. I don't need you getting in the way, or worse, getting hurt, because of one of us."

"I'm not a two year old Eli," She responded, scowling. "And…I have a right to be concern, just like anybody else. Since when do you pick fights anyway? Nonetheless, with your fists? There was no need to be so rash!"

"Like I said, just stay out of it," Eli growled, feeling unusually frustrated at the moment.

"Ugh! You are so frustrating!" Imogen declared.

"Elijah! Damon! Come here right now!" That was Mr. Nieves, and he didn't sound happy. Eli turned away from the brunette, slowly walking up to his desk.

Maybe if he was lucky, they would still be able to attend the field trip tomorrow since they didn't exactly cause any physical damage to each other.

xxx

"Eli!"

Eli felt himself scowl at the voice calling out to him. Firmly, he continued walking, refusing to look at the brown-haired girl calling his name and running after him.

"Eli!" She yelled again, louder this time, anger evident in her voice. "Hey! Wait up!"

If possible, he felt his stride quicken even more as she grew near. His teeth were clench together along with his hands in his jacket's pockets. No, he didn't want to see her. He didn't want to see her stupid perfect smile, and those stupid big brown eyes that competed with puppy eyes, or anything that belonged to her. She was the reason he had almost gotten in a fight in Mr. Nieves' class because he just had to be in l—

"ELI!" A hand firmly grabbed his wrist, stopping him in place. He knew he could have easily pulled his wrist out of her grip, but there was just something about her touch that always stopped him from doing so. "Damn it, Eli! Look at me!"

"Go away," He hissed.

"No," She insisted. "Not until you tell me what Mr. Nieves said about yours and Damon's almost fight."

Eli forced himself to try to calm down, although it was difficult to do so with her so close to him. "He just said we better not cause any more trouble or we won't be able to go on the field trip tomorrow and he'll suspend us." He finally said between clenched teeth.

Imogen's eyes widened slightly at this news, although he couldn't see that considering he refused to look at her. "Why were you two even fighting anyways?"

"It's none of your business," Eli responded harshly back, feeling his control slip slightly from his grip. "It doesn't involve you." A lie. "So stay out of it."

Imogen scowled at him and she finally dropped her hand from his wrist. "Why are you being so rude?" she demanded. "I was just worried about you."

"Oh, you're actually worried about me?" He sneered. His control was slipping farther and farther out of his grip. He felt as if his insides were shaking. He almost felt the same way he had at prom. Cold. Vicious. Out of control. Finally he turned to face her as cold words spilled out of his mouth, uncontrollable, like a gushing waterfall, "Well, it's too late to be worrying for me. I don't need you. In fact, I don't need anybody. But I especially don't need _you_."

Imogen's eyes widened at these words in shock, and she took a step back, hurt and anger entering her eyes after a moment or two. "What is _wrong_ with you?" She hissed, "You are being an asshole for absolutely no reason!"

"Like I care," He spat.

Eli watched as more hurt filled her eyes and he instantly felt regret well up inside him. He shouldn't have been so cruel. Silently, he turned away and continued on his way to his house before he said anything else to Imogen he would later regret. Imogen didn't chase after him this time and he knew she was mad at him. Maybe this time she really would hate him for the rest of her life. He would deserve it if she did. He was everything she said he was.

He was born an asshole, and he didn't deserve anything. He didn't deserve Julia, he didn't deserve a mother, he didn't deserve her, and in the end, he lost all three of them which only proved his previous thought correct.

**Author's Note: I love this story so much.**

**Next chapter, expect some drama of course. What do you expect to happen next? I really want to know yours thoughts! Answer this question in a review. **


	18. Water

Despite the overall bright and happy and cheerful mood present throughout the whole bus ride, Imogen couldn't shake the feeling of a dark cloud hanging over her head. She felt tired, exhausted, despite getting more than ten hours of sleep last night. Not just that, but she felt cold all over; she felt the same way she did when she had a flu, just without the terrible aches and the actual bug itself.

The whole bus ride to Eterna Forest Imogen could see Eli's seat in the front of the bus, on the other side, three rows up. Noah of course was talking animatedly to him while Eli just looked out the window, a distant look in his eyes, staying perfectly still as if he was actually just a well-sculpted statue of the man himself.

Many times Imogen found herself looking his way, and many times she forced herself to look away, and told herself, _I'm so through with him._

Despite her words though, she was secretly mourning inside.

_He really does hate me now, _she would think, bringing herself close to tears as his cruel words echoed in her ears. She would blink those tears back though, fiercely telling herself, _I don't need him either. He's a jerk and an asshole. I can do so much better._

Unconsciously though she would grip her necklace, anxiety strangely kicking up inside of her. But why was she feeling anxious? She knew there was a reason why, she just forgot why. Some minor detail buried in the back of her mind which was causing her to feel this way.

A two-hour bus ride and a lunch-break later they arrived at Eterna Forest.

Eterna Forest really was beautiful. There was just something really magical about the deep green Everest trees being half-covered in a sparkly cloak of white. But then again, winter had that effect on places. Winter was just a magical season; a season of miracles.

"Okay, so from here on we will be hiking while searching for the moss rock," Mr. Nieves announced. He had a map out in front of him. "Grab all your stuff, and stick close together. But first, everybody grab a partner."

Imogen's partner was Bianca, while Eli's partner was Noah.

"Everybody have a partner? Good. Now follow my lead everybody, and try your best to keep up. Now let's go. We should try to find the moss rock by today, early tomorrow at the latest so we can hike back and be home by noon tomorrow."

Despite the snow on the tree, the ground was bare of snow and the sun burned up quite high in the sky, scorching the students of Mr. Nieves' two advanced geology classes and his aids for the camping trip. By late afternoon, everybody was sweating from the heat. Every once in a while Mr. Nieves would stop and lecture on a type of rock they ran into. Other times they would have quick fifteen minute breaks to cool down and take "bathroom breaks".

"I wonder if Nieves even knows where the moss rock is," Bianca started to wonder as she saw the sun starting to set, stretching its golden and scarlet rays over the forest.

"I'm sure he knows where to find it," Imogen reassured. "I mean, I'm sure this isn't his first class trip to Eterna Forest."

"I guess," Bianca mumbled, uncertainly.

"Okay, everybody!" Mr. Nieves called suddenly from in front of them. "Time to set up camp before it gets too dark! It looks like we're not gonna find the moss rock tonight, but we shouldn't be too far from it now, and should be able to find it before noon tomorrow."

There were murmurs and yawns as students began to set up their tents, some with the help of the aids or other students. By the time the sun was close to entirely disappearing all the tents had been set up and they had a fire blazing with life.

Imogen poked Bianca in the back. "Hey, I'm going to go explore a bit. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Bianca looked at Imogen and said, "Are you sure you should be wandering around alone at night?"

"It's still light out, and no need to worry, I can look out for myself," She reassured. "I'll be back in a few moments. I just want to explore some."

"Well, okay then." Bianca said.

Imogen still had that anxious feeling in her chest which only grew stronger as she ventured a little farther into the forest. It was almost as if…as if she was going to discover something important that way. Imogen shook her head, dismissing her thought. The anxiety, it was just in her head. She was sure of it. Nothing out of the ordinary was going to be this way.

Imogen was just on her way back to the campground when something caught her eye. She hadn't seen in the first time because she had mainly been looking up at the sky and the skyscraping coniferous trees, not the ground. But now a thin patch of sunlight was shining down on it, giving it an angelic glow. Berries surrounded it along with tall pine trees.

She frowned as she approached it, that anxious feeling in her chest growing stronger, blossoming into panicky butterflies in her stomach. She saw it was a cross. A wooden cross with faded white paint. Kneeling down, she turned the cross over and read the front of it.

"In memory of a loving son, a loving husband, and a loving father, rest in peace…" Imogen felt her body go cold. "John Moreno…" And as if it was the black plague itself, she dropped the cross, backing away from it. Her body cold all over, she broke into a run.

_Oh God, no..._

Her father's cross, marked in the same clearing he had died in. Where they found his body.

Her vision was blurred as she ran, blurred by the wind or by tears that had somehow gotten into her eyes, she didn't know. Either way, she wasn't too surprised when she ended up running into what she thought at first was a tree. Her heart was pounding like a drum in her chest, but she knew it wasn't from running. Her body was trembling, the hiccups surfacing.

"Oof!" She fell, skinning her elbows as she did. She could feel blood start to dribble down one and she winced as she moved that elbow.

"What the hell," She heard Eli grumble, who had knocked his head against a tree when she had crashed into him. Imogen could only feel her night getting worse when she realized it was Eli she ran into. She didn't bother getting up. She just wanted to sit there for the rest of her life.

"Imogen?" A rosette rounded the corner, arms folded across her chest as she studied the brunette lying on the ground.

Oh great. Now she definitely wanted to sit there for the rest of her life.

Eli looked down, and seeing the brunette with her lightly bleeding elbow, tired face, and red eyes, he raised an eyebrow.

"What's with you?" He asked, sounding annoyed.

"Nothing, just go away!" She snapped. She could feel the hot tears in her eyes, threatening to spill. She felt anger boiling up inside of her. "Just leave me alone! Go ruin somebody else's life!" She screamed. She could feel herself shaking.

She saw Eli's eyes widen in surprise from her sharp words, but then that cold mask came over his face again and he walked pass her, remaining silent. Isabella, however, just gaped at her in a mix of shock and anger.

"What is wrong with you?" She exclaimed, her loud voice echoing throughout the clearing. The last of the sunlight faded away. Imogen forced herself to look up and glare at Isabella through the veil of tears in her eyes.

"Go away!" She yelled.

"No! I refuse to," the rosette exclaimed back, her green eyes blazing in fury. "Not until you tell me what your freaking problem is!"

"Just go away!" She yelled again.

"I will not go away," Isabella exclaimed again. "How dare you treat Eli that way!"

"After all he has done to me, that's nothing!" She responded sharply back. She had just told him to go away…and to ruin somebody else's day. Okay, so maybe that was a little mean, but he had said worse to her at prom. "Besides, Eli is a jerk! An asshole! He is cruel, and has not a single nice bone in his body! He practically has no heart!" she continued, starting to tremble. She forced herself to breathe, to calm herself.

Isabella snorted. "You are so ungrateful! If it wasn't for Eli, Damon would probably be trying to seduce you right now. Heck, if it wasn't for Eli he could even be doing worse to you right now!"

"Huh?" Imogen frowned, confused. "What do you mean? Eli hasn't done anything for me. And I am not ungrateful!"

"Yes, you are," Isabella hissed.

"Just leave me alone," Imogen insisted, starting to tremble again as she forced back tears and snapped out the next few words, "Just go back to your boyfriend who you're oh-so-desperately in love with!"

"I'm not in love with him!" Isabella shrieked, taking Imogen off guard. Isabella's face contorted in anger as she glared at the shocked brunette still sitting pathetically on the ground. "And why should I go back to him? Just to have him moon over you some more, and pay absolutely no attention to me? You are so blind! You can't even see he's still in love with you!"

Imogen's eyes widened at those last words, but then she shook her head. Shakily she stood up, backing up a few feet. "Eli isn't in love with me, he hates me!"

"Ohmygosh, yes he is!" Isabella insisted, taking a step forward. "Damn it, you can be so stupid sometimes! You know, I can't even properly get his attention because he's always looking at _you! _When I talk to him, I know he's really not listening to me and is thinking of _you!_ He is in love with you! He _protects_ you!"

"He doesn't protect me!" Imogen yelled back, backing up into a tree. She felt a knot in her chest that got tighter and tighter with every word Isabella spoke.

"He defends you, he tells me to be nicer to you, and his fight with Damon yesterday, and it was over _you_. He heard him and some of his friends talking about you, and he just lost it when Damon said he was going to find out if you were a virgin or not. He _cares _for you, Imogen. Just accept it already!"

"No, he doesn't," She backed up into another tree. She refused to believe it. "He can't…he doesn't…" More tears blurred her vision, frustration welling up inside of her. "Eli… he doesn't…if he did, he wouldn't have…at prom…" She started to choke on her words.

"Eli is going through a tough time," Isabella said softly, sadly. Imogen was surprised by the girl's suddenly understanding, soft tone. "He's been going through a tough time for a while."

Imogen shook her head; she still refused to believe Eli actually protected her, cared for her, _was in love with her._ It was impossible, especially that last one. It couldn't be possible…could it? They had dated before. There had been a time before prom.

Imogen felt the world tilt beneath her as she fell to her knees again, suddenly feeling very hot and damp. She frowned; confused as she watched the twisted figure of Isabella walking away and black spots began to appear in her vision.

Imogen laid her head in her hands, and felt hot tears run down her face for a few seconds before stopping suddenly, and lifting her head up, which felt as if it weighed fifty pounds, she saw the disfigured body of Eli who kneeled down beside her and touched her forehead.

"Leave me alone," She croaked, sniffing loudly. She swatted his hand away and backed into a tree, shakily standing up. She shook her head and the black spots from her vision disappeared although she still felt a bit dizzy. She steadied herself by supporting herself against a tree.

Eli remained silent for a good few seconds, then quietly said, "You hate me now, don't you?"

"Go away," She insisted. How many times had she said that now? Why didn't anybody ever listen to her when she said that? "Please…just go away."

Eli was silent for another good few moments before turning around and walking towards the camp. She thought he was really going to leave, but then he stopped again, turned around, and hesitating for only a moment, he said quietly, quickly:

"She's not wrong."

Imogen looked up at this remark, and she frowned, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. "Wrong? She's not wrong about what?"

Eli didn't answer and chose to change the subject. "Why were you running?"

"Huh?"

"When you crashed into me a few minutes ago," Eli said. "You were running. Why?"

"That's none of your business!" She snapped. "Why do you even care why I was running? Not like you care. You don't care at all. You don't care about anything. You're just so cold and ruthless. In fact, why are you standing here, pretending to care?" She glared harder at him through glassy red eyes, pressing even closer to the tree as if it could protect her.

Eli just looked at her, a frown settling over his face. He couldn't understand what would upset her this much. Certainly it couldn't have just been him…could it? Eli took a step back as this thought entered his mind, a cold feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

Was he really that bad?

Unconsciously, he took another step back.

He was. He knew he was. But she could just be so infuriating at times… with her little secrets… the way she could be at times…

After about a minute of silence, Imogen filled it again: "I don't even get you half the times," she confessed. "But I never really got you, didn't I? Not even when we were dating. You were decent and open one moment, and then you would just shut like a clam on me, cold and silent."

Eli was silent for a moment, trying to remember that far back. Yes, he had shut like a clam at times, but that was just his nature, in a way. If he felt he had open up too much he would make up for it by closing himself for a while to balance it out. Almost to protect himself. But that was with other people. He was different with her. When he would close on her like a clam, it was for an entire different reason; because he felt she was hiding something from him, something that would hurt him. Like a clam, he would close up to protect his vulnerable insides, leaving everyone else to his cold hard shell.

"Why didn't you believe me?" Eli's head snapped up to see Imogen still glaring at him, although he could now see there were tears running down her cheeks. "Why did you believe everybody else over me? I don't understand why you did. I…I thought you…you…" She was unable to finish her sentence. She was trembling much too hard to. She looked miserable and angry and confused.

Eli looked down. Not in shame, but because he too was wondering now why he had believed them. He knew it wasn't just hearing what he did the night of prom. It was more than that. It was all the rumors and stories swirling around him, told to him period after period, day after day, stories he had at least a million times between the day him and Imogen first started dating and Prom day. Slowly, and against his will, he had started to believe them, the stories he was told endlessly. It was also all the uncertainty, the doubt, knowing Imogen was keeping something from him. But it was something else… something he heard…

"I heard somebody say something about us," Eli revealed. "Something that was true; something that was incredibly accurate. Something that only we should have known…but Clare knew it too."

He remembered that day in the hallway, when he had overheard Clare and Marisol and all their friends gossiping about them.

"_Her and Eli did have sex in a cave, at the beach," Marisol stated, mumbling words from underneath her breath._

Imogen just stared at him in confusion for a moment before anger hardened her features once more. "You still shouldn't have believed them!" she insisted, her voice going shrill. "You ruined everything between us because you chose to believe those stupid rumors over me, your _then-girlfriend _at the time! What the hell were you thinking?"

"I don't know what I was thinking!" Eli snapped, feeling his anger rise along with frustration. "I wasn't thinking at all, okay?"

"Obviously," Imogen snorted.

"And what were you thinking when you decided not to tell me you were moving?" Eli retorted back. "Did you just expect me to go to your house one day and find it empty and then be okay with that?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why didn't you tell me?" he yelled. "What were you so afraid of that you had to keep it a secret?"

Imogen was caught off by this question. "Wh-what?"

"What were you so afraid of that you couldn't tell me you were moving to New York?" he pressed. "Did you think I wouldn't accept that? That I would leave you or something?" His voice grew louder as his frustration grew, and his glare on the brunette only hardened as her eyes slowly softened.

She stared at him, her shoulders sagging, suddenly tired. That was exactly what she had been scared of. It was a stupid fear now, she realized. The stupidest fear she could have ever had, and as much as she loved to blame Eli for their bad break up, she knew she was as much to blame as him.

Eli understood that her silence meant that was exactly what she had thought. "You knew I moved a lot," he said slowly, forcing his voice to remain steady. "Even if you had stayed, I would have had to move eventually. _Why_ would you be scared of such a stupid thing?"

"What does it matter now?" She responded angrily back.

"You betrayed me," He retorted.

"And like you didn't betray me?" She shot back. "And I'm sorry okay; I should have told you I was moving right away, I should trusted you—"

"It's not just that," He responded in that low voice of his, almost a whisper. "It was when you moved…" Imogen was about to ask him what he meant by that, but he continued, his voice growing louder in volume, "Do you even have a slightest _idea_ of how I thought of you after I realized your house was empty?"

Imogen stayed silent, her face still wet and a frown painted unhappily across her face. She knew it was a rhetorical question.

"I thought you were like my mother," He snarled, his eyes blazing. He was quivering now, as if he was a volcano about to blow. She stepped back, startled to see Eli like this. "My WEAK, _useless_ mother!" he spat out the last word like it was the name of a disease he caught. "My mother who was too weak, my mother who abandoned me the week the rumors started, my mother who _killed herself _thinking she was better off dead!"

Imogen felt her breath catch in her throat, and her eyes widened in surprise. Tears were beginning to form in the corner of her eyes. There was also a lump the size of ball growing in her throat. She backed into a tree, feeling weak in the knees. Her hand was clenched over her heart.

"Your mother killed herself?" She repeated in a quiet voice. Looking up, she asked, "When?"

Eli was silent, still quivering in an uncontrollable rage. Finally, he said:

"The week before prom." He was silent for a moment, no longer quivering. "I wasn't sick those days before prom. I didn't feel like going to school. I didn't want to see you that week; I didn't want to see _anybody_ that week…I didn't even want to go to prom, but I did anyways, because I knew you wanted to go…"

"But you broke up with me at prom," She pointed out quietly, her eyes on the ground.

Eli sighed exhaustively, and looking up, she saw he had sat down against a tree, leaning against it, his bangs covering his face. For a moment he didn't look like an eighteen year old boy but a man who has been through much. He looked defeated, like the abandoned and broken shell of a crab that had outgrown him.

"I wasn't going to…but then I heard Jose…and something in me just snapped," He said quietly. "I didn't plan for prom to go that way, Imogen. I didn't mean to hurt you like the way I did."

Imogen just nodded, a lump in her throat making it impossible for her to speak.

"I shouldn't have said all those things I did…it was unacceptable…inexcusable…" He said quietly.

Imogen swallowed, that lump in her throat growing bigger, those tears beginning to blur her eyes. "Your mother died," She said quietly, understanding. "You were mad that you couldn't save someone you loved."

"I hate my mother," He responded.

"There's a thin line between love and hate."

Hesitating, she slowly crossed the short distance that separated them. She watched him for a good minute, feeling horribly awkward as she stared at the broken man in front of her.

"Eli?" She asked meekly. He didn't respond. She bent down beside him, and brushed his bangs from his face. He looked up at her.

"We all make mistakes," She told him, unable to meet his eyes. His sad, sad eyes. "Sometimes we just have to learn to forgive the mistakes so we can all move on. You should forgive your mother, Eli. I'm sure the reason why she left you was because she loved you."

"Who leaves someone they love?" He mumbled.

"Plenty of people," She responded softly back. "Sometimes they leave because they think they are better off without them. Maybe your mother left you selfishly, so she wouldn't have to be reminded of why she abandoned you guys," Eli's hands clenched as she said this. "Or maybe she left you so you didn't have to watch her mope around; so you could have a mother who could give you all the love and care you need." His fists loosened.

"And other times—" He looked up again. "—they leave because they have to, even when they don't want to. And then sometimes they leave earlier then they need to because they feel as if everyone hates them and they don't know what to do."

He looked down again, and was silent. He understood she was referring to herself in that last part.

"I don't hate you," He said finally. Silence. "I never did."

Imogen couldn't help it. Even after everything he put her through, and everything they went through together, she smiled.

"I honestly didn't mean to hurt you like that," He said again, unable to look her in the eyes, too ashamed to.

He felt so weak; it was as if suddenly pouring out all of his emotions to her was also taking away his strength. He wasn't used to being so open with anybody. Not even with his father. He always considered it a weakness in others to open up to others so openly. Maybe he was wrong all along though. Maybe opening up to someone and pouring out their emotions to another made them strong, not weak.

It was silent for a while, and Imogen found herself suddenly wondering about all of the things that could have gone differently for them somehow.

"I wonder…I wonder if," She hesitated with her words, frowning, suddenly not sure of hers and Eli's current situation. Hesitantly, and nervously, she continued, "If things could have gone…differently for us."

Eli stared at her, confusion lit on his face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…Say, we weren't in high school. We met in college or somewhere else… do you think things could have gone differently for us?" she queried. "Or if things would have still ended up the same?"

Eli remained silent, contemplating her words.

"Maybe," He said finally.

"If we had been older, more mature, it could have been different…" Imogen whispered confidently, feeling her own heart ache at her words with that possibility suddenly feeling so real to her, despite how far away she knew it really was. It was too late for that. Way too late.

Eli looked up, and as their eyes connected Imogen suddenly understood his feelings for her. He felt the same way as her. He always had, even if he had never said them to her out loud, even if his actions contradicted how he really felt.

As if reading her mind, Eli said, "We can't go out now…it would probably just end the same as last time…there's just too much spotlight on us, too many stories already going around about us."

Imogen's heart dropped at these words, but she smiled nonetheless, knowing he was right. "They would just eat us up alive," She agreed.

She knew even those two had had rough patches in the past and had nearly broken up twice in their four years together in high school, once in ninth grade and another time as a junior. Relationships in high school were like survival of the fittest, and the truth was her and Eli weren't the fittest. Not even close to the fittest considering how easily it took for their relationship to break.

"It was much easier when we were just friends," She whispered. "There were the rumors, but we weren't worried about them."

Eli stood up suddenly and dusted himself off. Imogen watched him as he stretched out a hand for her to take. Gratefully she grabbed onto it and he helped pull her up.

"Let's start over," He said.

"Start over?" She questioned.

"Yes…start over," Eli repeated. "Let's not fight anymore. We both agree everything that happened was just a misunderstanding, right?"

Imogen pursed her lips together thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."

"So let's start over," Eli said. "As friends."

Imogen knew he wanted to be more than friends; they both wanted to be more than friends. But it was for the best if they weren't more than friends.

She smiled at him, and stretched out one of her hands. "Friends?" She asked.

He smiled too. "Friends," he agreed. They both shook hands.

**Author's Note: I'm so happy Eli and Imogen finally got along! After everything they went through, they finally got along. *le tears* but this story isn't over just yet. There's much more surprises, haha. ;D**

**Review please, or I won't update sooner. (:**


	19. Fire

**Author's Note: Just to clear the something going on in this chapter, Rana, Alli, Fiona, and Becky came to New York, to visit Imogen for her birthday. Just so you guys know so you guys wouldn't be confused. Okay? Haha, read on. **

"So are you going to your prom this year? You know, the one at your College, on your birthday?" Fiona questioned, voice purposely cheerful.

Imogen shrugged. "I dunno. It's in like two months, and I haven't even bought the ticket yet or a dress or anything for it…"

"Two months is plenty of time!" Alli told her. "You have plenty of time to buy a dress in that time! In fact, it's plenty of time to buy two dresses for prom!"

"Two?" Imogen frowned. "Why would I need two dresses for one prom?"

"Not two dresses for one prom, two dresses for two proms." Fiona corrected.

"Two proms—?"

"Yes, two proms. The prom for your College and the prom at Degrassi," Fiona interrupted.

"You need closure from Degrassi High School and all its people," Rana explained quickly, before Imogen had a chance to protest.

A look of horror crossed Imogen's face as vivid images filled her mind of a taunting crowd, throwing names at her and devilish looks, Eli in the middle of it, like a tyrant and his army overthrowing the queen of a nation. The images faded and Imogen found herself fiercely shaking her head.

"No, I can't. I'm not even sure I'm going to the prom held at White Gold University. I…I can't."

"Imogen, please don't let what happened at the Degrassi prom stop you from going to your prom at WGU," Fiona pleaded. "What happened was stupid and shouldn't have happened. You didn't deserve all that to happen, especially all in one night."

"Besides, imagine how jealous you would make that jerkface Eli if you show up in another totally hot and gorgeous dress with an equally hot and gorgeous guy!" Becky told her, giving her a girlish smile.

Imogen thought about this but then shook her head. "I don't wanna make him jealous though."

"But it can be like a taste of sweet revenge after all the shit he put you through," Rana reasoned. "You still want to get back at him from prom, don't you?"

Imogen smiled guiltily. "Um, actually not anymore. We…we're friends now."

Rana blinked disbelievingly, Becky's eyes widened, Fiona's jaw dropped, Alli banged her head on the inside of the tube from sitting upright suddenly in shock.

"Friends?" Alli sputtered, standing up after her fall with woodchips entangled into her now messy brown hair.

"Since when?" Fiona nearly shrieked, that look of disbelief still painted on her face and a wash of confusion now present on her face.

Imogen blushed. "Um, since we took a field trip like two weeks ago. We were fighting and then…then in the end, we just decided we were sick of fighting and we agreed to be friends."

"And you forgave him that easily?" Fiona frowned.

Imogen nodded.

"You shouldn't have," Becky told her. "Why did you forgive him so easily after everything he put you through? He had everybody turn on you at prom, and all those names he called you, and then everything else this year. Honestly Imogen, he doesn't deserve forgiveness."

"Maybe," she murmured. A little louder, she said, "But not forgiving him would be like not forgiving you guys."

This silenced them for a while as they took that last sentence in. A look of guilt was now present on their face, and Imogen noted how they could no longer meet her eyes.

"Eli's been through a lot," She said. "You guys probably don't know that. I don't think anybody really does. They just see him as the way he lets people see him and from there they assume."

A moment of silence cloaked them.

"You assumed too," Fiona pointed out quietly. "You said he was just born an asshole and nothing but a spoiled little brat."

Imogen smiled sadly. "Yeah. I did." Sighing, she turned her gaze to the sky.

"But you were still the one. The only one," Fiona murmured absently.

"The only one?" Imogen murmured curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You were the only one he asked out," She said. "You were probably the only one to try to actually get him, the only one to actually try to understand him. And he probably saw it that way. When he pushed you away, you didn't give up. You questioned him and challenged him for his ways. At first you assumed, but then when you asked questions, you got answers and you no longer needed to assume. You were the only one."

Imogen pondered this for a while. "Yeah, I guess I was the only one."

"It's no wonder why you keep coming back together," Alli said.

Imogen blushed, misinterpreting Alli's statement. "Yeah, but we're not dating again or anything. We're just friends and strictly only that."

"I know," Alli said. "I just mean its like every time you two are fighting or seem to hate each other, you end up making up and becoming friends. Like this is the third time already."

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you two are meant to be," Becky teased her. Imogen's cheeks reddened at this comment and she scowled.

"Shut up…"

A chorus of laughter echoed throughout the playground.

xxx

"As I'm sure you're all aware, today is Valentine's Day," Ms. Dowell started off the day. "Today, I have a Valentine's Day project for you,"

From the other side of the room Imogen caught sight of Eli's dark brown-colored hair and felt a small smile slip onto her face. Forcing herself to look at Ms. Dowell, she forced down images and thoughts of Eli in order to focus on what the English teacher was saying.

"Today I want you to make a Valentine's Day card for someone special to you, whether it's a boyfriend, girlfriend, your mom or dad, or a close friend of yours," Ms. Dowell started. "To add some literature in all this, I want you to describe your favorite memory with that person: It needs to be at least a paragraph or five sentences long. Your can use scissors, glue, glitter, whatever. Get as creative as you want. Just don't get loud or make too much of a mess or we're not getting another day like this for Easter. Now if you don't have any questions, get to work."

Imogen walked over to the supplies table along with half of the class and waited patiently for her turn to get some construction paper and the other supplies she needed. Imogen stared at the supplies in front of her and unconsciously reached for some purple scissors and several different shades of colored paper along with a purple glue stick. She reached for a piece of purple construction paper just as someone else did.

"Oops, sorry," She apologized, and looked up. Imogen felt her heart nearly stop as she realized it was Eli's hand she brushed.

Eli just gave a small grunt in reply and grabbed the construction paper, tucking it under his armpits as he reached for his other supplies.

Imogen watched him, silently in shock, but then cleared her throat and forced herself to say something.

"So, who are you making your Valentine's Day card for?" She questioned, deliberately taking her time in grabbing the rest of her supplies. She mimicked Eli by putting her construction paper under her armpit too. Slowly, she reached for another one, this time in the hue of light blue.

Eli just shrugged. "Haven't decided yet," he mumbled in response. "How about you?"

"I haven't decided either," She responded back. She pretended to ponder over what the third color for her card should be. Pink, red, or perhaps white? Imogen had already decided white.

Silence enveloped them, and as anxious butterflies started to flutter in her stomach, she picked up a small bottle of blue and purple glitter and was about to leave when Eli finally spoke.

"Exactly a year ago I attended my first day of Degrassi High," Eli said.

Imogen was about to say 'so', when she suddenly realized why he said that.

"We've known each other for exactly a year," She said. Imogen frowned at this.

A year ago she had just met Eli. A year ago she was still at Degrassi. A year ago she still had it all. A year ago she had still been popular, she had lived in Canada. She had been the "it" girl. A year ago she was dreaming of prom and would have never been able to imagine that prom could be anything but perfect. A year ago she had just met Eli, the boy who turned her world upside down.

"So much has happened since then," She murmured, suddenly feeling choked up. Had it really only been a year? It felt as if a decade had gone by since that fated day when Eli came to Canada.

"A lot has happened," Eli agreed, his voice distant. Imogen looked up at him and saw his eyes were also distant, staring at the supplies in his hands as if he couldn't see them, as if he was in a different place and a different time, a time in the past.

_Valentine's Day,_ Imogen thought. _The day of love. The day I met Eli. Maybe—_ Imogen's eyes widened as she realized where her thoughts were taking her. No. Just because you met him on Valentine's Day…No, just no. Stop it. We're just friends, nothing more. However Imogen could feel a giddyness and a hope rising inside her chest, something which scared Imogen.

"Good luck on your Valentine's Day card," She told Eli, flashing him a smile before taking her supplies and walking back to her desk.

"You too," He murmured.

xxx

"Yes, I filled out the permission slip…I'll turn it in next weekend, I just don't have time now…Why? Because I have to work…Okay…Bye then…I promise I'll turn it in next week… Bye, tell the others 'hi' for me…Becky, for the last time, I said I'll turn it in next week and I will!…No, I'm not procrastinating; like I said, I'm really busy…I'm hanging up now… I'm serious, I will hang up… Bye Becky!" Beep!

"Geez, that woman can talk!" Imogen muttered under her breath as she filled the last part of her application for a job at the movie theater.

"Filling out applications for a new job, heh?" Imogen felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the sound of the voice and startled, words tumbled out of her mouth clumsily.

"Welcome to Soul Silver, what would you like? …wait, I mean, um, how may I take your order…? Um…" Imogen blinked as she saw the amused glint in Eli's emerald-colored eyes.

"Oh. It's you."

"'Oh. It's you'." Eli repeated her words blankly.

Imogen felt a blush rise on her cheeks. "Well, I didn't mean it like that… erm, would you like to buy a smoothie?" Imogen felt her blush deepen as a smirk made its way on Elis face.

"Sure, Genny," he said, referring to her uniform which still had her silly nickname stitched onto it. "I'll have a Watermelon smoothie and a Wild Berry smoothie…and that's two smoothies, so I get one free, right? Lets make the third one Strawberry Banana. Bullfrog likes Strawberry Banana. Make all of them mediums."

"I'm starting to wonder if you came here just to make fun of me," She told him, frowning slightly. "Would you like whip cream and a cherry on your smoothies?"

"Sure, why not," Eli said. "I'll also take a blueberry muffin with the order."

"And is that all?"

"Yes."

"Would that be for here or to go?"

"Just make it to go."

"That will be ten oh eight, please."

"Ten oh eight?" Eli raised an eyebrow. "Just for two smoothies and a muffin?"

Imogen smiled slightly at him. "Technically, it's three smoothies and a muffin. And nobody ever said Soul Silver's smoothies was the cheapest."

"Well, technically, I'm only paying for two," Eli said, taking out his wallet and pulling out a ten dollar bill and a five. "Keep the change."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Well, okay then…"

As Imogen made his smoothies and got his muffin, Eli couldn't help but see what kind of job she was applying for; somehow, he wasn't surprised when he saw the application was for a movie theater. A few minutes later Imogen arrived with his smoothies and muffin.

"So you're applying to be an employee for the movie theater just near 151 avenue, eh?" He said as nonchalantly as he could. She nodded, busying herself by wiping the counter down with a washcloth.

"Mhm. It's like always been my dream job. It's been my dream job since I was like, ten. It's just the perfect job for me," She said. "How about you? Have you filled out any job applications yet?"

"Well, I filled out a new college application. I applied for it in the beginning of this year though, like in September," he responded.

"That's cool. Which college is it?"

"Actually, it's a university," Eli corrected her after a moment. Momentarily, Imogen just stopped cleaning and just looked at him, curiosity present in her chocolate brown eyes. "It's in Florida. It's a great university for those who are really smart and have a high scholarship. It's called American Intercontinental University."

"It's…in Florida?" She repeated. Unconsciously, she felt her hands clench the washcloth in her hands, wringing the soft material which only response was to drip out water.

Eli nodded, eyeing her cautiously.

"But…isn't that like, far away? Like, on the other side of the globe?" She asked. Imogen was surprised by how high-pitched her voice sounded. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to breathe in order to calm her racing heart. What was this sudden feeling coming over her?

"I don't think it's that far away," Eli muttered. "But yes, it's pretty far away. Farther away from Georgia and North Carolina anyway."

"Oh." Shaking her head, she forced herself to smile, "So, did you get a response back from the coll…university?"

"Yeah. I got accepted."

Still, she forced that smile to stay on that face. "That's excellent news!" Still breathing deeply through her mouth, she forced her mind to focus on the task at hand.

"I'm going to go there in the fall," he told her.

"That's cool." She scrubbed at a stubborn stain on the counter, forcing her mind to concentrate with all its might on reducing the big brown stain to nothing.

_Stupid stain, _she thought, scrubbing harder on it. Eventually she had to give up on it, admitting ruefully to herself it would not come off no matter how hard she scrubbed at it or attempted to make it disappear with her mind.

When Imogen looked up, she saw Eli was still there, watching her, smoothies and muffin untouched.

"Aren't you going to eat your muffin?" She questioned after a moment.

"No. It's for you," he responded.

"For me?" She repeated, surprised. "Why?"

"I want to make sure you're still eating like any other healthy teenage girl." He smirked slightly as he said this and she felt her cheeks heat up at his words and…generosity.

"FYI, I am," She responded. "In fact, I got myself weighed two days ago at the doctors and I weighed one hundred and eight pounds!"

"Really? And how do I know you're not just lying and making that up?" He responded.

"Why would I make it up?"

"Because you don't want to eat my muffin and that's your way of getting out of it?"

"Hm, fair point, I suppose," She said, taking the muffin. "Thanks I guess. I'll have to eat this on my lunch break which is…what do you know, in another half hour!"

Eli just nodded, his eyes glued to her, as if he was afraid she would suddenly go chaotic and go on an angry rampage like an out of control ape. His gaze was unnerving and Imogen found herself unable to meet his eyes. That fluttering in her chest only got worse and the pink in her cheeks only got pinker as the silence dragged on between them.

"So Florida…" She said, her voice raspy. She cleared her throat, and forced herself to face him. "What city is American Intercontinental University in?"

"Weston," Eli corrected her. "Which is sort of in the middle of Florida."

_That's comforting, _Imogen thought sarcastically. _Far away, but not too far away. Heh._

Imogen stared at him with a frown painted on her face, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Then she realized the true meaning of his words.

As if reading her mind, Eli said: "Besides, you're staying at White Gold University right? You'll be so busy with all your classes; you won't have time to think of anything else."

_All in all, I'll be so busy with classes I'll forget about you eventually,_ she thought, voicing the words Eli really meant to say.

_But you're wrong, _a sad voice inside of her said. _I won't forget you, or my friends, or anybody I've met during these four years of high school. I can't. I won't. _She wanted to tell him that. She almost did. But instead, she smiled.

"Yeah, I suppose," She said.

Finally, Eli got up and took the gray tray that was half-filled with smoothies. He got up to leave, but then halted. "Your birthday is on prom day, right?"

This question took Imogen by surprised. "Oh, umm, yeah," She responded. "I'm going to prom on my birthday…are you?"

Eli was silent for a moment, and then he responded, "I'll think about it," He turned toward her one last time. "Bye…Imogen."

Imogen smiled, her elbows propped up on the cleaned counter and her hands folded under her chin. "See ya, Eli…"

xxx

April 15th, 2011.

2:28 AM.

A restless brunette tossed and turned in the sheets on her bed.

_She was the queen of their school._

_The empress, the crowned head, the superior, the diamond._

_She was __**Imogen Moreno.**_

The perfect and beautiful Imogen Moreno.

Beads of sweat rolled down the brunette's head. Her hands unconsciously clenched her sheets as she turned again, fear growing in her chest as the beautiful brown-haired goddess made that fated walk through the crowded room in her dream.

She didn't want to see her cry…she knew the goddess was going to cry… That man, that handsome dark borwn-haired man, was going to hurt her. The crowd, like a bunch of unruly animals, was starting to gather around.

_The perfect, the beautiful…they became __**imperfect**__, they became __**ugly**__._

_Chaos… she laid broken on the floor._

_The queen, broken… the queen, overruled._

**Tyranny.**

Why didn't she see it coming? It had been boiling over, getting ready to break, like a storm rising in the air. Why didn't she feel the chilly wind? Why didn't she taste the salty tear-like rain before it was too late?

She was humiliated. The students who had admired her, who had wanted to be like her, who wanted to be her, turned on her. They left her shame-faced and broken. She could never go back to that place after that kind of humiliation.

But she did…everyday, in her thoughts, in her memories, in her daydreams. Everyday she pictured herself at Degrassi again and everything was okay.

But it was never going to be okay again.

At least, not the way it used to be.

A tear slipped from Imogen's eyes, a small sob escaping the sleeping girl's throat.

_"Welcome back, Genny."_

_**Sneers**__._

_"Nice outfit, Genny. So did you get a tongue piercing?"_

_**Taunts**__._

_Ignore them, she told herself. And she did ignore them._

_**Envy.**_

_She was different. They sensed that._

_They were scared by that._

She had never fit in at WGU. In WGU, she was just another girl, a girl who once had sparkly hair. That was all they knew about her; that was all they cared to know about her.

She didn't need them.

She would never be their queen…

She would never be anybody's queen ever again.

Another tear slipped from Imogen's eyes.

She was never a queen.

_"Your birthday is on prom day, right?"_

xxx

Blue ringlets cascaded down pass Imogen's shoulders, touching bare ivory-colored skin, as she released the last curl from the iron. Carefully she applied soft peach and bronze-colored eye shadow while she swiped dark volumizing mascara on her eyelashes which gave it that dramatic look. Coral colored lipstick was applied soon after to her lips. One song was playing continuously in the background as she got ready for prom, and Imogen focused on those lyrics, memorizing the song's lyrics in just the first few runs.

_"As long as you love me_

_We could be starving, we could be homeless, we could be broke._

_As long as you love me_

_I'll be your platinum, I'll be your silver, I'll be your gold."_

A towel dropped to the ground as Imogen pulled on lingerie and the prom dress she had bought specifically for the WGU Prom.

The dress was beautiful.

Almost as beautiful as her first prom dress…or maybe even more beautiful. After a moment Imogen decided they were both equally beautiful.

The dress was a beautiful ball gown type of dress, like the dress Cinderella wore to the ball where she met her Prince Charming. However, unlike Cinderella's dress, this dress was a very light pink. Light pink chiffon sleeves that sparkled with hidden glitter in the bathroom's light fell off her shoulders, showing off her collarbone and the diamond I-shaped necklace she wore on a daily basis.

The dress's bodice was a lighter pink than the bottom half, a soft shell pink on rose pink, which was separated at the waist by a waistband with a bow in the back; small, glittery prints of roses that were no bigger than the tip of her pinky were also scattered on the bodice. The bottom half of the gown consisted of many layers that were only a shade darker than the top, and was topped by the same sparkly and pale pink material as the sleeves.

Smiling at herself, Imogen felt a faint and familiar spark, a spark that was similar to the one she usually felt before dances. It was a spark she hadn't felt in over a year. Pleased by the familiar tingling of excitement she felt all over, she twirled in her gown, having to pick up the thick, lower part of the dress so it wouldn't get dirty.

Her bad dream out of her mind, Imogen felt beautiful.

Gardens of Hope…

That was the theme of the prom. Which was held in Central Park. A strange place to hold a Prom...but at least it was outside.

Hope, Imogen thought, smiling at her reflection in the mirror.

She could only hope this prom would be better than last year's.

xxx

"Happy birthday, birthday girl!" Fiona had shouted upon arrival.

Imogen's smile only grew bigger as one by one, people began to arrive at the birthday party, well Prom. Her smile transitioned into a cheerful grin though when her four besties arrived together just for her birthday, just to see her.

Her friends had arrived early for her party, when it was just starting to begin, keeping her busy while they waited for more guests to arrive. When Jose finally arrived, they got the music going, and he played a fun, pop-dance song that Imogen couldn't remember the name of.

"Happy Birthday, Imogen." Jose called through the microphone, getting the music started.

_"My feelings are too strong,_

_been feeling this for long_

_And I know I'm so in love (with you)_

_And I know I'm so in love (with you)_

_And I know that thats your man _

_But you know I understand _

_So come give me your love (if you can)_

_By your side is where I'll be _

_Girl your loving is so sweet_

_By your side is where I'll be _

_Girl I need you next to me_

_By your side is_

_where I'll be, where I'll be' where I'll be _

_By your side is_

_where I'll be,"_

As moments passed, more people arrived at the Prom, while Imogen searched through the crowd, looking for Eli.

"Happy birthday Imogen!"

"Hey, Birthday Queen!"

"I hope you're having a great seventeenth birthday, birthday girl!"

"Oh! I love your dress, Imogen! It's beautiful! Also happy b-day!"

"Wow! You look fabulous in that dress Imogen!"

A gasp. "Imogen! You look like a GODDESS in that dress!"

Imogen would quickly thank the person who wished her a happy birthday or complimented her, flashing them a charming smile that flashed her pearly whites, before continuing her hunt for Eli.

_Is he here yet? He said he was coming…_

_Did he change his mind? Is he not coming, after all?_

_Eli, where are you?_

These thoughts whirled in Imogen's mind as she made her way through the crowd of partygoers, her eyes and mind alert for any shade of that familiar, eye-catching dark brown hair.

_"February 14th, you was in DR with the man of your dreams _

_Thats not me and it seems like I don't have a chance then so be it_

_Baby baby we was in the telly doing shit _

_Baby baby girl I knew that we shouldn't have done what we did because."_

Imogen stopped herself for a second, thinking: Why am I so intense on finding Eli anyway?

In her mind, she told herself she didn't know why and she pretended to feel confused. But in a conscious part of her present in her mind she knew she it was because she still had feelings for Eli, more than she wanted to. Slowly, that conscious part of her grew more present in her mind until she wanted to deny the fact, but couldn't.

_Okay, so maybe I do want him back…_ Imogen admitted for the first time to herself. _Nothing wrong with that. We both forgave each other and we obviously still have feelings for each other so what's the problem..._

Feeling slightly better and little more exhilarated after the tiny confession she made to herself, she continued her hunt for Eli.

She twisted her body, glancing this way and back, then moved on. She was excited, eager, desperate to find that familiar hue of dark brown. There was many colors in the crowd, but none of them presented the color she oh-so-badly wanted to see. Her heart was thumping with excitement, clenching with anxiety.

As she searched though with no sign of the indifferent man, those doubts she previously had resurfaced.

_Maybe he isn't here…_

_"My feelings are too strong_

_Been feeling this for long_

_And I know I'm so in love (with you)_

_And I know that thats your man _

_But you know I understand _

_So come give me your love (if you can)"_

Suddenly, she caught a flash of curly brown hair and light brown together and immediately recognized her one of her best friends and one of her best guy friends.

"Hey, Bianca, Noah." She greeted casually, walking up to the two.

The two tore their gazes away from the other for a moment to flash a smile.

"Hey," they both greeted in unison.

"Happy birthday, Imogen!" Noah yelled, swinging an arm around first her shoulder and then Bianca's. Both girls tipped over a little at the sudden weight, a sweat drop trickling down both their foreheads.

Noah sighed, long and contently.

"I remember the day I turned seventeen!" Noah chimed, grinning madly. He soon left his arms back to his sides.

Imogen turned to Noah and Bianca, quietly clearing her throat.

"Um, so have anybody seen Eli here yet? There was something I wanted to ask him," She told them, easily making up a lie to go with the question.

Noah shook his head.

"The jerk? No, I haven't seen him around lately," Noah retorted, glaring at the ground as if he was around. Suddenly his chocolate colored eyes lit up, and his childish grin returned. "But if you do see Eli, tell him he owes me 10 bucks!"

Imogen smiled, nodding. She turned to Bianca.

"Have you?"

She smiled sadly, shaking her head.

"Sorry, Imogen, I haven't. Maybe he isn't here yet," She suggested, shrugging her thin shoulders.

"Maybe," She agreed, trying to sound as casual as she could while also not trying to let the hurt show in her eyes. After chatting for a few more minutes with Bianca she waved, said "see you later!" and walked on by.

_"By your side is where I'll be _

_Girl your loving is so sweet_

_By your side is where I'll be _

_Girl I need you next to me_

_By your side is_

_where I'll be, where I'll be' where I'll be _

_By your side is_

_where I'll be,"_

"Um, hey guys!" Imogen greeted Isabella and her friend in that naturally sweet voice of hers. "Are you enjoying the party so far?"

Slowly, recovering from their shock at how beautiful Imogen looked, both girls exchanged glances.

Finally, Isabella nodded, matching her smile.

"The party is great!" She reassured her. "Food, drinks, music…they have everything here!"

Imogen laughed, her head bobbing in agreement.

"Not to mention a birthday girl who looks like royalty today," The other girl, Sarah added, referring to her. "Your dress is so beautiful! Where did you get it?"

She shrugged.

"It was a gift from my mom," She revealed. "I don't know where she got it though. I don't know where she gets half my presents to be honest!"

Isabella laughed and Sarah just grinned, finishing the rest of her cupcake.

"So have any of you guys seen Eli here, yet?" Imogen asked in an easy-going voice. "I need to ask him something important."

Isabella's smile faltered for a second, threatening to droop into a frown. She quickly covered up her surprise though.

"You don't know where he is?" Isabella queried, and although she was able to cover up her shock well she was unable to keep a hint of surprise from her voice. Sarah looked equally surprised along with confused.

"Oh, we don't know where is he is!" Sarah replied. "We figured if he was anywhere, he was with you! You two seem so close!" The brunette turned a faint pink at this remark and Isabella elbowed her friend in the gut.

"Eli and I do seem pretty close, huh?" Imogen asked, laughing sheepishly.

Sarah nodded in agreement, saying rather matter-of-factly, "Yup! Your closeness with him can make some other girls jealous!"

Isabella elbowed her again.

Imogen pursed her lips together, asking curiously, "Why is that?"

"Well, because they have a crush on him, duh!" Sarah responded, rolling her eyes while grinning childishly. "Like I know a LOT of girls who have crushes on him!"

Another elbow to the ribs.

"Really?"

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise but Isabella guessed she wasn't really surprised. It was no secret after all that the brown-haired man was a heartthrob at any school especially college with his good looks, fantastic grades, and strong, almost unbeatable, techniques. And his bad boy attitude and that natural mysterious trait he possessed only added to the many reasons so many girls were crushing on him at school. Isabella being one of them.

What was it Isabella liked about him anyway? His looks? His smarts? His strength? The mystery that surrounded him?

She would be lying if she said it was just the last one, because like everybody else she did find his long dark brown locks, smoldering emerald eyes and tanned muscles quite irresistible, and she did admire him much, but Isabella…she was a mystery girl who liked mystery guys.

And to her, Eli was just another puzzle to solve.

"Well, thanks for the help," Imogen said, waving to them. With that she walked away.

For some reason Imogen couldn't explain, she felt upset. Okay, so yeah, maybe Eli hadn't shown up after all? Big whoop. It wasn't the end of the world. Guys change their minds all the time, no big deal.

Yet even so Imogen felt miserable. She even felt somewhat betrayed.

_He could have called me and said he wasn't going to come after all!_ Imogen thought fiercely, glaring at the ground.

Sighing, Imogen walked over to the slides and climbed up the steps, hoping for a few minutes of peace and quiet, hoping to clear her mind. She was glad and excited at first that so many people had came to prom, but now she just felt annoyed at all of them and wished they would just go away.

Why can't any of them be Eli? she wailed silently in her mind.

The song that was playing was starting to finish in just about a few seconds.

From her position on the large slide, which was very high up, she could see just about everything and everybody.

She could see Fitz and Bianca flirting. She laughed at something he said, her chocolate brown eyes bright and sparkling. Fitz' eyes were also vibrant as he told her another joke that made her laugh once more. She saw Bianca lean in and placed her lips against Fitz'. Of course, he kissed her back. They've been dating for a long time.

Sure, they fought at times, but they always made up in the end and they last no more than a few days. They are so good for each other… They really did care for each other.

Imogen's heart tugged with longing as she watched them. Somewhere deep down inside her heart, she wished that was her and Eli.

"Okay, everybody! A slow song is about to come on!" Jose announced over his headphone from his spot at the DJ. "Everybody grab a partner!"

Imogen watched as the crowd assembled into couples, Fitz and Bianca being the first one to take the dancing pose. Although Imogen smiled at the sight, her heart shrieked with loneliness.

Just then the song came on.

_"Always in a rush_

_Never stay on the phone long enough_

_Why am I so self-important?"_

As Imogen shifted her attention away from her curly-haired and light brown-haired friends, she spotted Rana and Dallas dancing together like expected, holding each other's gazes as they danced. Rana leaned her head against Dallas' chest and he stroked brown locks.

They had such a beautiful relationship; one that could last a lifetime. It was obvious how much the two loved each other, and how much they meant to each other. So beautiful, so strong, so perfect…

The loneliness clawed at her heart like her stomach did when it was hungry.

_"Said 'I'd see you soon'_

_But that was, oh, maybe a year ago_

_Didn't know time was of the essence."_

Next her eyes fell on the figures of Adam and Becky who had their back turned on each other, their arms crossed grudgingly in front of their chests. They slowly unfolded though as they hesitantly took each other's hands. Frowns were still painted on each others faces, as if unsure of what they were doing, Becky placed her hands on Adam's shoulders and Adam placed his on her hips.

Becky was such a sweet girl who was deserving of a strong man who loved and cared for her. And it seems like Adam could be the guy for her.

_Maybe, _Imogen thought as she watched the two dance together. _The two can work it out somehow and be together._

Her heart craved for the presence of someone else.

_"So many questions_

_But I'm talking to myself._

_I know that you can't hear me anymore_

_Not anymore."_

As Imogen's gaze traveled further into the crowd of now dancing couples, she saw two individuals who were glaring at each other. She could just barely make out the movement of their lips, showing that they were actually talking to each other.

Dave looked arrogant at something he said to Alli, and he held out a hand for her. Alli growled a response at him, and turned away, huffing. As she glanced around though at the dancing couples, she saw her cast a nervous glance at Dave. Sighing, she turned back around, grudgingly taking his hand. Imogen guessed that Dave had convinced the brunette to dance with him by pointing out they were the only one without a partner. Alli, not wanting to be an outcast, had only agreed for that reason.

_Where had the two gone wrong?_ Imogen asked herself. Immediately she answered herself. _Everything had gone wrong. They had both been jealous of each other, unable to trust each other, UNWILLING to trust the other. And so it had to end._

But maybe, if the two would just put all their jealousy and possessiveness behind, they could be boyfriend and girlfriend again. Maybe this time they could make it work.

Her heart was starving, reaching out blindly for anything that could fill its empty existence.

_"So much to tell you_

_And most of all goodbye_

_But I know that you can't hear me anymore."_

The song was briefly interrupted but continued playing as Jose made an announcement.

"Where's the birthday girl? Imogen, where are you?"

Imogen turned around, sighing.

She didn't want to be seen all alone, especially on her birthday. It was too sad of a thought, and too humiliating for her. It was an impossible thought, a thought she wouldn't dream of letting happen.

Tear pricked at the corner of her eyes, beginning to blur her vision, but she pushed them back. She refused to cry. She wouldn't let herself cry on her birthday. It was just another impossible thought…

"Imogen, where are you? There's someone who wants to dance with you," Jose said once more over the headphone.

For a moment Imogen thought he meant he wanted to dance with her, but then remembered he was doing the music for her party. Although she planned on just hiding out there by the slide until the song ended, she couldn't help but peek a glance Jose's way, where the DJ stand was.

Imogen's heart stopped as she saw the familiar shade of dark brown hair and the intense emerald-colored eyes that stared right back at her, burning into her own chocolate brown eyes.

_"It's so loud inside my head_

_With words that I should've said."_

Imogen smiled at the sight of him, her heart hammering against her ribcage as she slowly made her way down the staircase that led to the small park which held slides. She grinned at him. She made her way over to him.

"I thought you weren't coming tonight after all," She told him, chuckling lightly.

"I've been here for two hours," Eli replied gruffly back.

Imogen stared at him for a second, frowning, but then shrugged. She held out her hand, grinning once more.

"Wanna dance?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with happiness. Eli rolled his eyes, a small smirk making the corner of his mouth go up as he accepted her hand. He commented wryly:

"Shouldn't it be me asking you to dance?"

"I don't like waiting for someone to ask," She replied easily back. "Besides, I always ask the guy to dance."

Her confident attitude was something Eli just had to admire about her.

Eli intertwined his hand with hers, wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him until their chests touched. Imogen looked somewhat startled by the sudden closeness, but she quickly covered up her shock by grinning up at him, a twinkle visible in her pupils.

_"As I drown in my regrets_

_I can't take back the words I never said._

_I never said_

_I can't take back the words I never said."_

Eli leaned in a bit until his mouth almost touched her ear.

"Happy birthday," he whispered.

Imogen smiled, leaning her head against Eli's chest, allowing herself to inhale Eli's scent once more and dance to the music with him.

The longing in her heart was fed.

**Author's Note: This chapter was basically all about Imogen's birthday which is obviously held at Prom. Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a Prom because there are no such thing as Prom Queen and King for this one because it's held for WGU. Anyway, the dance is held at Central Park. And trust me, this park is beautiful! You guys should look it up on google. (:**

**The songs I used for this chapter are:**

**As Long As You Love Me by Justin Bieber**

**By Your Side by Nawlage ft. Truly Young**

**Words by Skylar Gray.**

**For the next chapter, It will be continuing with what goes down at the dance. So are you guys ready for it? (; more drama next chapter. I mean come on, I cannot bring up another Prom without more drama, it's a fricken Prom FFS. Anyway. haha. Don't be too scared. You guys should be more worried about the Prom held at Degrassi, which is coming up soon…;D**

**Review!**


	20. Electricity

**Author's Note: I'm so happy I finally reached 100 reviews! It's the best feeling ever, I swear omg. Anyway, this chapter will continue during the Prom event, or shall I say, Imogen's birthday.**

As Imogen walked towards the balconies, and the several gardens, as if by fate, she spotted a splash of dark brown on one of the balconies, the moonlight giving Eli an angelic appearance.

Imogen felt her heart begin to pound in her chest; her face turned a light pink. She felt jumpy and anxious. She realized it was kind of weird to feel this way around Eli. It was like being in love with a stranger she knew almost nothing about, although the fact was that at one time they had dated and she knew everything about him.

They had agreed to be friends, but despite that, it was like they were now keeping a part of themselves secret, only allowing each other to see what they felt acceptable to show. It was weird, and thinking about it, Imogen realized she didn't like it.

_It shouldn't be this way, _She thought. _It's not right._

Imogen gazed at Eli a little longer, his back turned to her. She was attempting to gather up the courage to talk to him like she would have when they were friends at Degrassi.

Taking a deep breath, Imogen forced a coy smile on her face as she approached Eli.

"I guess I was too lost in disbelief by you showing up that I realized you're wearing a tuxedo! How cute!" Eli turned his head slightly towards her. "So who are you trying to impress? Do you have a new girlfriend or something?"

Eli frowned at her, his eyebrows knitted together, and for some reason Imogen felt annoyance come over her.

"I won't get jealous if you say you do, you know," She told him, rolling her eyes. She knew that was a lie, even though it didn't have to seem like one. She could have self-restraint when she wanted to.

"Actually no, I don't," Eli said after a moment, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. Finally, he turned his body to face her. A blush rose in Imogen's cheeks as she felt Eli's eyes scan over her. Her face only felt hotter as she saw the smirk on his face.

"What?" She asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"That dress is way too big for you," He responded after a moment. Imogen's cheeks darkened at this comment. "What? No it's not!" Eli's smirk only grew wider.

"Yeah it is. You are way too petite and small, and that gown is like a monster on you; you're like only half its size," He told her.

"No, it's not. And I'm not that short! Or petite!" Nonetheless, Imogen couldn't help but frown as she wondered if she really did look awkward in the big gown she was wearing. She had many people compliment her throughout the dance, but maybe they just did that so she wouldn't be embarrassed…?

Eli chuckled as he saw the worry reflected in her eyes as she pondered over his words. "Relax, I was kidding. You look just fine."

"Oh." Imogen did relax some, although she could still feel a prickle of self-consciousness. "Um, thanks, I guess…Um, you don't look so bad yourself…I guess…"

Eli raised an eyebrow at this compliment, and Imogen looked away, feeling angry suddenly at how awkward she was being. She felt the need to apologize for being awkward, but she had a feeling that would make things even more awkward, so instead she busied herself by gazing at the gardens once more. Soon Eli was gazing around with her, and they both stood leaning against the balconies with the moonlight coating them with a glow that made them resemble a beautiful god and goddess.

Beautiful…mystical…mythical… Like a scene out of a fairytale. _Gardens of Hope._ A night of bliss, stars that told the future, and endless possibilities of romance.

"This place is amazing…" Imogen whispered, the words falling out of her mouth before she even had chance to think them.

"It is," Eli agreed.

Suddenly a streak of white shot through the starry sky.

"A shooting star!" Imogen exclaimed.

A wave of déjà vu washed over Imogen. She remembered wishing about while seeing a shooting star…Imogen wondered what she had wished for that particular night. She wondered if that wish came true.

_Probably not, _She thought. _Wishes don't come true._

"Hey, are you two dating?"

"Huh?"

Imogen and Eli both looked up to see a boy with shoulder-length blonde hair and a piercing ice-blue eyes holding up a digital camera. Imogen immediately recognized him as Nathaniel, one of the photographers for the yearbook.

"We're just friends," Imogen responded. As she spoke those words, Imogen realized just how much she resented them. _Just friends._ Those two words taunted her because they knew she wanted to be so much more than just friends with Eli. Imogen felt her throat tighten.

"Yeah," Eli agreed.

"Oh. Well, can I get a picture of you two, anyways?" Nathaniel questioned. Eli just shrugged, and Imogen nodded. "Okay, just do what you were doing before. Look out at the gardens, all thoughtful."

A few snapshots later and he was gone.

The two stayed there a little longer, silently enjoying each other's company as they remembered all those nights they spent together at lakes, gazing up at the constellations, and all those times they danced together as music that was silent to them boomed in the background.

Imogen wasn't sure how long they stood like that since the moments seemed to both drag on and go by in a fast. With Eli, Imogen felt as if time was distorted, their moments lasting forever yet not lasting long enough.

Suddenly the vibration of music and the distant voice of someone singing came to a halt and was replaced by another distant voice, this time the voice of the DJ.

"Are they announcing something important?" Imogen exclaimed.

Eli shrugged. "I guess so." Imogen was shocked when Eli took her hand. "C'mon, let's go. We should be there since they're probably announcing something important."

"Okay." Imogen followed Eli as they walked back to the huge crowd.

"So you all know that today is a very special day for Imogen Moreno, right?" The DJ announced, or shall I say, Jose.

Imogen's eyes went wide at the sound of her name being mentioned. When she briefly glanced at Eli at her side, she noticed a smile crawl on his lips.

"Well, I have something to say for you guys. This girl has been through a lot of shit! When I mean a lot of shit, I mean _a lot. _It's amazing to see how strong she looks now." Jose's eyes traveled through the entire crowd as it finally landed on Imogen's. Imogen felt her heart race beneath her chest at his words.

"Imogen is my best friend, and I love her so much. She's that type of girl that can make a guy just fall for her…just because she's so optimistic, confident, outspoken, beautiful…" Jose smiled; a sadness crossing over his face. Tears were beginning to fill in Imogen's eyes, but she blinked them back. It was like Jose was talking to her and only her.

Eli's eyes lingered on Imogen for a moment, a soft frown appearing on his lips. He knew Jose was referring to both Eli and him.

Unconsciously, Imogen felt her hand squeezed Eli's as she anxiously listened to what Jose was announcing. Eli gave her hand a little squeeze back, as if to reassure her.

"But let me be honest with all of you, I'd never thought that she would ever be the one I would fall for…" A silence developed throughout the entire place. A few gasps came from a few people in the crowd. Meanwhile, Imogen felt like she was about to explode. Not even, she felt like she was dead. Literally dead.

_How could he mention that in front of EVERYBODY and with ELI here!? _She yelled defiantly in her head. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to yell at Jose for even bringing the topic up.

"Truth is, she's in love with someone else," He announced, his eyes finally lingering on Eli. Eli was staring at Jose back, somewhat feeling sympathy for his friend. "And that someone used to be an old friend of mine…a really good friend until…everything went haywire…people telling lies to one another and it just…it was a disaster.

"Despite that, he's a really good guy. He's the perfect guy for her and I know that he loves her too. The way he looks at her…the way his cold ways are, the way he cares for her…it's obvious he loves her." Jose stayed silent for a moment, nodding his head. "I just felt the need to give a speech...anyway, Happy Birthday Imogen."

Jose took a step back as he turned to his laptop, typing down something, getting ready to put on a song.

Imogen let free of Eli's hand as she turned away, walking passed the faces that were gawking at her. Her mind was wandering off to the past and she entered daydream mode, dreaming of prom at Degrassi where everything had gone down.

"Imogen…"

A slow song came on overhead and instinctively Imogen's eyes closed, and for a moment she forgot where she was and what year it was. A smile graced her lips as a warm, fluffy feeling filled her. Suddenly she was Imogen Moreno again – not Genny Moreno or even Gen Moreno, she was Imogen Moreno: prom queen, head cheerleader, and the silver metal of Degrassi High School.

"Hey, Imogen…Imogen!"

"_Hold your head up high, You're never wrong."_

Briefly she wondered if that's how her and Eli would have danced if everything had somehow worked out in the end. If she had somehow opened her eyes and saw how she was practically abandoning her friends for Eli and the others; if she had somehow seen how her secretiveness spawned from her fear of Eli leaving her had driven a rift between them; if she had just known the disasters prom had in store for her, if she could have somehow just changed that night, prom could have been perfect. She could have mingled with her friends, danced with Eli, been crowned prom queen. It could have perfect…perfect…

"_Somewhere in the right you belong."_

_Perfect._

It was so far from perfect, but it could've been so close to perfect…

If only it had been perfect.

Or maybe it was perfect. Maybe she was just dreaming. Maybe this had all been one long, horrible dream, and she would wake up, still a senior at Degrassi with the perfect prom only hours away.

Maybe she could still have her perfect prom.

Imogen smiled.

The perfect prom. The perfect friends, the perfect date, the perfect night.

The perfect life.

Perfect.

Just like a silver metal.

Just like Imogen Moreno.

"Imogen!"

"_You would rather fight than walk away."_

Imogen blinked, and slowly she turned to look at the face of her dark brown haired, emerald eyed…ex-boyfriend. Tragically she was pulled back to the present. She was Imogen "Genny" Moreno again, attending White Gold University, and an ex-girlfriend to Elijah Goldsworthy, the only man she had ever really loved.

Imogen opened her mouth, as if to say something, but then closed it again as she realized nothing good would come out of it as a wave of emotion swept over her. Tears filled her eyes and before Eli or anybody had a chance to see them, she tore her hand free from Eli's hand and ran.

_Oh God, what was she _doing_?_

"_What a lonely way to breathe the air."_

Imogen honestly didn't know. All she knew was that she was crying when she desperately didn't want to cry; honestly, she didn't even understand why she was crying, she just was. She just ran and ran, in a town where she was miles from home, and disappeared into the swaying colors of flowers.

She didn't want this.

She didn't want to cry, she didn't want to run away again on prom; she just wanted everything to be like it used to. She wanted to be back at Canada; she wanted to hang out daily with her friends like she had years after years; she wanted _Eli_ back.

She didn't want to grow up.

"_What an unlovely way to say you care."_

Imogen sighed as she rested against the steady support of a honey tree. Through teary eyes she could make out the image of a round glowing white moon, looking like a pearl in the distance. She hugged her knees as she recalled the last few minutes.

_Why am I crying? _She wondered. _I have no reason to be crying! Jose basically made a speech about me and I was with Eli… and Eli…_ Suddenly more tears spilled from her eyes and she couldn't understand why.

_You were thinking about something…what were you thinking of? Eli…oh Eli…I was thinking about prom and all the memories I had with him…_ More tears spilled from her brown eyes and she felt stupid and foolish for crying over something in the past. She knew it wasn't just the past she was crying over though.

_Why did I have to start crying? Why did I run? I am such an idiot,_ Imogen thought, glaring at the blue and pink and white flowers beneath her through tear-filled eyes. _Why can't I just get over it? I can't change the past, no matter how much I want to. No matter how desperately I want to change it…_

"_Now we're too far gone for me to save..."_

Sniffing, Imogen rubbed her eyes and scowled as dirt from the palm of her hand got in her eye. She stiffened as she heard a rustle behind her.

_Crunch crunch crunch._

Shakily, Imogen turned her head a few degrees, toward the place where the rustling was coming from. In the dim moonlight she could see the outline of a man with shaggy, shoulder-length hair and broad shoulders. Even in the faint light she immediately recognized the figure as Eli. Unconsciously she pressed herself closer to the trunk of the honey tree.

_Please, please don't see me, _She prayed. _Please. Don't…_

Unfortunately for Imogen, someone out there hated her.

"_And I never thought that we'd come to this."_

"Imogen! What are you doing?" He demanded as he spotted her against the honey tree, an annoyed scowl plastered on his face.

She couldn't face him. Imogen felt her heart thump wildly against her chest as he neared and more tears blurred her vision. She felt anger rise inside her at her weakness. She hated herself. She was so stupid, so weak. She was weak and surely Eli thought so too. Eli hated weakness; that's why he was always so cold when he was hurt, so he wouldn't show his weakness. She, however, wasn't nearly as strong as him. She could never be as strong as him.

Fueled by her sudden anger at herself and Eli, she felt herself stand and get ready to run, holding her dress up so she wouldn't trip.

"Damn it—" Eli cursed as he realized she was getting ready to run again. "Imogen!"

Imogen took off.

"_Maybe there's beauty in goodbye.(no one's wrong or right, you would rather fight, then you walk away)"_

"Imogen!"

What was she so angry at? Why was she so angry, so sad?

"Imogen!"

_Leave me alone!_ She screamed in her mind. _Just let me go!_

Let me go…

Imogen closed her eyes. A sense of déjà vu washed over her as she recalled running with all her life away from the taunting crowd of prom-goers.

Let me go…

Like you did last prom.

"Imogen!"

Let. Me. Go.

Like you will when you leave for _American Intercontinental University_.

"Imogen!"

She was going to be left behind. She was going to be forgotten. Nothing but a fading memory, a character in a story he would someday tell his grandchildren about dating a girl who was once called a silver metal but was really nothing but a cheap imitation of one. A ghost of the past, that's what she was going to become.

"Imogen!"

_Just set me free… Set my heart free from your hands' greedy clutches._

"IMOGEN!"

"_There's just no reason left to try(now it's gone too far, look at where we are)._

Imogen screamed as strong hands pulled her back.

_Let me go!_

"Let me go!" She screamed.

He did not get that she was actually referring to something else.

"Not until you explain what you're so upset about," He snapped back, forcing her to look at him. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the feeling of his coal-emerald eyes intensely burning into hers. Staring into his eyes was like staring into the flames of an angry fire.

"You wouldn't understand," She hissed back.

Imogen could feel Eli's burning gaze on her, and even with her eyes closed she could see those intense emerald eyes, trying to read into her mind and pry into her private thoughts. Already she could feel herself trembling as she started to succumb to her weakness.

"Stop acting like a brat and just tell me what's wrong," He told her harshly.

Imogen sighed, an exhausted growl escaping her throat. When she opened her eyes she felt a hot tear escape and roll down her cheek. Fortunately, that was the only tear to escape. She pursed her lips together. She was NOT about to tell him what was wrong or her fears and anxiety about the future. Again, she closed her eyes.

"Imogen," Eli's voice, surprisingly soft and gentle, made her eyes snap open again. "You can tell me what's wrong." She almost caved, but then she fiercely reminded herself to not give in.

"No," She insisted stubbornly. Breathing unevenly through her mouth, she added softly, "It's nothing. It's stupid. Really…"

Eli was silent for a moment as he studied her face. Imogen squirmed uncomfortably, his hands still gripping her wrists. She didn't like him staring at her so intently. It bugged her; it was as if he was reading her mind. It made her feel vulnerable, her weaknesses out in the open.

"_You push me away."_

Damn him…

And then, as if to confirm her thoughts, he said:

"It's about us, isn't it?"

"_Another black day."_

Imogen scowled, hating herself for being so…readable.

But it wasn't exactly just them she was worried about, it was her friends too; basically, it was just her future she was worried about. Although thinking about it, Imogen supposed at the moment it was mainly her relationship with Eli she was worried about.

"Y-you're going to a university in Florida," She whispered, starting to tremble all over.

"_Let's count up the reasons to cry."_

Eli released his grip on her wrist, startled somewhat by the emotion present in her voice; unconsciously Imogen took a step back and wrapped her arms around herself. Goosebumps covered all her arms and no matter how much she wanted to stop trembling, she couldn't, she just couldn't. She hiccupped and an angry sob escaped her throat.

"And you're staying at WGU, it's a good university for you," Eli reminded her.

"So what!" Imogen snapped back. "I bet _you_ will make lots of new friends in Florida. You'll make lots of new friends – not to mention lots of new girlfriends. I bet you'll meet a girl just like you there, someone strong and ambitious just like you, and you two will fall in love."

"_Look what you've missed, living like this, Nobody wins.."_

"Is this what all this is about? You're jealous, aren't you?" Eli scowled and Imogen's face soon matched his as anger swirled inside of her like a brewing storm. She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to make him _understand_. Imogen knew though screaming wouldn't make him understand.

Imogen's eyes narrowed to slits. "I'm not jealous."

It was true. She wasn't jealous. Nope, she was scared and angry and a little hurt. But not jealous. She had felt jealousy before, and she knew she wasn't jealous.

"Then why are you so upset about me going to Florida?" He demanded.

"_Searching for the truth in your eyes. , Found myself so lost don't recognize, the person now that you, you claim to be…"_

Imogen's head spun and she was pleased to realize she was no longer trembling. Shakily, she raised a hand and brushed her damp bangs from her hot and sweating forehead. She blinked back unshed tears and saw clearly Eli. She felt sadness well up inside her and she felt an ache in her heart at the sight of him.

"_Don't know when to stop, or where to start. , You're just so caught up in who you are. , Now you're far too high for me to see."_

"What are you so afraid of?" He asked, his voice calmer, gentler. He filled the space between them. Imogen followed his movement with her eyes before flicking her gaze towards the ground, finding herself once more unable to meet his eyes.

Eli cupped her chin with his hand and tilted her head upward, forcing her eyes to meet his. "What are you afraid of?" he asked again, more firmly.

"_I'd never thought that we'd come to this.."_

Without thinking, Imogen responded, "I'm scared of saying goodbye…"

Eli remained silent, taking this information in. Imogen watched him as he did, wondering suddenly what he was thinking. She attempted to probe his mind with her eyes, but found that his face was not nearly as readable as hers apparently was. Even his eyes held no clue to what his thoughts were.

"Eli—?" She was about to ask, but was cut off as he did the unexpected.

Cold lips touched hers, immediately sending a wave of warmth throughout her whole body.

"_Maybe there's beauty in goodbye(no one's wrong or right, you're about to fly, then you walk away)."_

The feeling of Eli's lips against hers lasted for probably only ten seconds, but it was enough to leave the fragile brunette utterly speechless. All throughout the kiss her eyes were wide open, and they remained that way even as Eli pulled away.

This kiss actually felt like something different. This kiss was passionate, loving and caring, like an electricity building. Like that spark you feel after kissing someone. That's exactly how it felt…

Eli stared at the brunette, amused by her reaction.

"You—you kissed me," She murmured when she finally found her voice. Her mind spun with questions and possible answers. Eli just nodded and gave a small grunt in response. Inhaling deeply through her mouth, she looked up and quizzical brown eyes met his. "Why?"

"_There's just no reason left to try(now it's gone too far, look at where we are)."_

Eli took a minute to think of the answer to this simple question. "To show you I'm not trying to say goodbye."

Imogen bit her lip, trying to fight back a wave of hope, she asked, "Then what are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say," Eli paused, thinking over the words he was about to say. "I'm trying to say I don't want any more misconceptions getting between us."

Imogen frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't want to say goodbye either. I mean I don't want us to make the same mistakes," He responded.

"_You push me away."_

"Mistakes—?"

"The mistakes we made when we were dating," Eli clarified. "I don't want anymore secrets to get between us or rumors or anything."

Imogen's eyes widened as she realized just what Eli was indirectly saying. "Ohmygosh, you're asking me out again, aren't you?" She whispered.

"_Another black day."_

Eli's eyes burned intently into hers. "Yeah. You can say that."

As Eli confirmed her realization, uncertainty suddenly settled over her along with guilt. "But what about_ American Intercontinental University_ and Florida—?"

"We could make this work," Eli insisted. "We could do a long-distance relationship."

"_Let's count up the reasons to cry."_

"But Florida…it's so far from New York…" She murmured, her eyes flicking to the ground.

"Imogen," her eyes snapped up at the sound of Eli's voice. "You want this, don't you?" he asked, his emerald eyes blazing into hers. "I thought you wanted this."

Suddenly Imogen felt even angrier at herself. He was right. She had wanted this. She had been scared of losing him, he had realized that and had offered her the chance of still having him, and here she was, trying to deny him when he was giving her exactly what she wanted.

She felt so confused though. All these thoughts and feelings swirling inside her, jumping from one emotion to another, going from one thing to the next all so quickly. It was all going by too fast for her, she couldn't keep up.

_Just slow down,_ Imogen told herself, closing her eyes. _Just slow down._ Imogen struggled to clear her mind, as she detangled one thought and feeling from the other and forced herself to clearly take in the situation.

How did she feel about this exactly?

"_Look what you've missed, living like this, Nobody wins.."_

When her mind was clear again she opened her eyes and saw Eli. She saw his angular face framed by choppy, brown-colored, shoulder-length hair. She saw his cold eyes, emerald with just a hint of gold in them, something she had never noticed about them up until that moment.

Imogen inhaled softly, Eli's scent of Earth and cologne wreathing around her. It was a familiar smell and a comforting smell, just like his face or just his presence in general. Pleasant memories filled her mind and she felt a familiar feeling of comfort and serenity wash over her, a feeling she had felt constantly around Eli when they were dating when she had just wanted to get away from the stress of school and home. It was a feeling she had felt around him even before they were dating, when they had just been friends.

True, Eli could be a bastard at time, but he was the only bastard, or guy for a matter of fact, who could even begin to understand her. It was as if he was the missing puzzle piece in her life. It was only when she met him that she started to truly live; every other day she had lived without knowing him was just a faded memory of a girl who no longer existed in the present.

"_Now it's gone too far, look at where we are.."_

Looking into Eli's eyes, like she had so many months before, when her and Eli would lie beside each other on the ground, staring up at the sky, still a couple, she knew the answer to Eli's question.

**Author's Note: What was Imogen's answer to Eli's question hmm? I fangirled when Eli kissed Imogen oh em gee, and I wrote this and yet I still fangirled because like it was a beautiful moment in my mind. The way I pictured it was way too beautiful, like it was their first real kiss omg, it was amazing, wasn't it? Yes, it was.**

**Imogen and Eli are meant to be, I can't even. They've been through so much in this story, that they belong together, omg. And for Jose, I feel bad. Omg, he loves Imogen so much and he has to watch her be in love with Eli and only Eli omg. Omg, so many omg's, I'm sorry! Haha, anyway…**

**The only song I used in this chapter was: Nobody Wins by The Veronica's.**

**Next chapter, much more. But I must say something, this story is close to coming to closure. D': I love this story so much that I don't want it to end, sigh.**

**But I think the last chapter will at least be chapter 22 or 23.**

**Review!**


	21. Diamond and Pearl

**Author's Note: So sad because this story is going to end very soon, in at least one more chapter or two more I believe. D: Anyway, this story isn't over just yet, so be happy about that!**

**I'd like to say that this story teaches a lot, as you can see. How relationships can be destroyed just by people telling lies. Well, it's true. People gossip all the time and it does have the power to ruin things, including relationships. That's why I created this story. To prove a point. **

**Haha, well continue reading, thank you.**

Imogen watched Mr. Nieves with thoughtful eyes as he explained a few of the theories on how the Earth was made; her eyes once in a while flickering to the students next to her. Currently they were finishing up the chapter on space and the many planets, the last chapter they would be learning about before reviewing and taking their AP Tests.

"Your current and last assignment for today will be to write a two-page report on these theories and either agree or disagree with them. If you don't agree with any of these theories, feel free to come up with your own theory on how the universe was made just as long you explain what your own theory is and why you think it's right. Just try not to get too religious with it, okay? This assignment will be worth 50 points. You can change seats and talk if you want to, just try not to get too loud."

Imogen glanced over her shoulder and watched as Eli stood up and took a seat in front of Noah who sat next to Isabella on the other side of the room. Pursing her lips, Imogen glanced briefly at Bianca before taking out a sheet of paper and her usual lead pencil.

She sighed as she started to write her usual heading on the paper. Only Monday and already she had a butt-load of homework. It didn't help that she was still suffering from a prom-hangover. It didn't help that the hotel her and Bianca had chosen to crash in had beds with lumpy mattresses.

Again, Imogen found herself glancing over her shoulders at Eli as she recalled prom.

"Hmmm…" Bianca tapped her pencil against her chin. "Okay, so let's see, how I should start this bad boy? There are many theories concerning the universe and how it was made and blah blah blah, or It is a popular belief that the universe was created some sort of person or blah blah blah."

"I like the second one," Imogen told her.

"Yeah, me too," Bianca said, writing the sentence down before sighing and slumping forward in her seat. "Blah. Homework on a Monday. Nieves can be so cruel! And it's the Monday after prom too. Bleh. Wish we were back at prom again…"

Imogen only nodded, her lips pursed together again.

Bianca straightened her stance before leaning back in her chair, her arms folded over her chest and studied Imogen's face with curious brown eyes. "It's too bad you're still single…" Bianca told her, softly. "Like, I was just thinking prom would have been the perfect chance for you to hook up."

"It's for the best," Imogen responded, unable to meet the brunette's eyes. She was completely aware of Isabella and her chatterbox friends sitting next to her, discussing the latest gossip on some Junior girl who was rumored to be pregnant.

Her hands twisted in her lap and unconsciously she glanced over her shoulder again at Eli at the same time he also glanced up. Their eyes briefly connected and Imogen glanced away, pursing her lips together again.

Bianca just hummed, whether in agreement or disagreement, Imogen wasn't sure, and continued to watch her with puzzled eyes.

"I mean, I will be graduating in this college," Imogen said quietly.

"Yeah, you can meet new boys here," she agreed.

Imogen rolled her eyes, unable to stop a grin from sliding across her face. Bianca grinned too, her dark eyes mischievous. "Shut up, Bianca." The brunette stuck her tongue out and laughed.

"So do you know if Noah's going to a new college?" Bianca questioned.

"He's going to NYU," Imogen told her. "He applied for like five different colleges, including a university, and got accepted into all of them including the university, so he chose to go to the one in NYU since it's closer to here. Plus, Isabella is going there too."

"Really? Noah and Isabella are going to the same university?" Imogen nodded. "Yeah, she got accepted too. I just found that out yesterday."

"She's lucky and so is he," Bianca smiled sadly at her. "That university is amazing. It's too bad I'm applying for another college too…which is in New Jersey."

"Yeah," Imogen agreed, also smiling sadly. "But hey, we can still keep in contact. Like we can video chat and instant message each other and stuff. That's what me and my other friends are planning to do."

"But first, I need to save up for a webcam," Bianca said. "Which shouldn't be too hard, I guess, considering I'm making a decent amount of money at my new job."

"Let's just hope you don't get fired again," Imogen said, smirking. Bianca stuck her tongue out again, a grin sliding across her face.

Just then a girl walked in, a girl with long blonde hair and bright brown eyes that Imogen recognized as one of the school's journalists, with several stacks of papers in her arms that were separated by a simple paper clip. She handed one of the stacks to Mr. Nieves who glanced briefly at them before clearing his throat.

"Attention! Hey!" The class quieted down to a few whispers and murmurs, just enough so Mr. Nieves could speak. "Here's a stack of paper you can take if you want to vote for your class favorites. You can write down your vote for the couple that is most likely to last, the cutest couple that never was, boy and girl with prettiest eyes, class clown—" His eyes narrowed at Ricky, who was always pulling pranks on him and substitute teachers. "—best dressed, who has changed the most since Freshman year, etc." Mr. Nieves placed the stack of papers down on his desk and there was a scurry of movement as everyone got up to grab a sheet.

Imogen got up to grab her own sheet of paper at the exact same time Eli did. She watched him through the corner of her eyes, biting her lower lip, as she waited in line behind him. He looked only straight ahead, his hands shoved in the pockets of his baggy gray pants, as if she didn't exist.

"Hey, Imogen."

The brunette glanced over her shoulder and turned her body to face Isabella. "Hey," she said, giving a small wave.

Imogen glanced over Isabella's shoulders at Sarah.

"You two are still friends?"

"Of course," Isabella responded. "We were like arguing during Prom…Sarah didn't really mean what she said. She was just stressed; her parents had just filed for divorce and her boyfriend just dumped her, so yeah, she was pretty upset and as a sort of outlet she just blew up at me. You know how frustrating things can get, right?"

"Um, yeah," Imogen murmured. She thought of Eli as Isabella explained Sarah's situation. "I do know what you mean."

She nodded, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Sooo, where did you go after Jose made an announcement about you? I didn't see you around." Her eyes flickered briefly to Eli. "I didn't see you around either after he made an announcement about you and _her_, Eli."

Eli turned towards her and raised an eyebrow.

"Did you two like, run off together or something?" Isabella questioned, her eyes flickering back and forth suspiciously between her and Eli.

Imogen shook her head. "No. I just got sick afterwards, so I kind of ran off to you know, vomit, and then I drove to this hotel to stay at."

"Oh." Isabella narrowed her eyes at Eli. "What about you?"

He shrugged. "I got bored, so I just left."

Isabella nodded, seeming to believe their story. "Well, if you say so." Just then it was their turn to grab a sheet of paper. Isabella grabbed hers and left, but Imogen and Eli lingered a little longer, pretending to be looking over the sheet of paper.

"Prettiest eyes?" Noah muttered to himself, scratching the back of his head with a pencil. "I'm gonna have to say Isabella! Nicest hair? Gonna have to say Isabella again. Nicest dressed? Isabella, of course. Cutest class couple? Me and Isabella, obviously."

"Geez, Noah," Imogen said, sweat dropping. "Are you going to vote for Isabella on everything? And I didn't know you two were dating."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," Noah snorted. "Well, hey, if it makes you feel better I'll vote for you on…cutest class couple that never was."

"Really? And who is the other person gonna be?" Imogen asked.

"What other person?" Noah asked, oblivious.

Imogen rolled her eyes. "It takes _two _people to make a couple, Noah!"

"Oh…right…well," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, glancing around the classroom. "How about…uh…" his eyes stopped on Eli. "Eli! You and Eli would make a good couple, but you two aren't a couple, so yeah, that'll work!"

Imogen glanced at Eli through the corner of her eyes and saw he was looking at her too. She looked away, fighting back the blush crawling on her cheeks. She pretended to study the chipped pink nail polish that colored her fingernails.

"Hey, what's with you two anyway," Noah questioned, suddenly suspicious. "You two seem…awkward. At least, you two seem awkward around each other." He placed his hands on his hips. "Okay, what gives?"

Eli just smirked.

"Nothing," Imogen responded easily back. Who knew her best guy friend in this university could be so observant! "I don't know what you're talking about."

Just then Isabella came up from behind Noah. "You two _are_ acting kind of different around each other. You're like too quiet. You haven't said anything to each other all day, and it just feels like you two are ignoring each other. Usually you two are acting annoyed with each other or arguing or _something_."

"You know, it's not necessary for us to talk or argue every day," Imogen pointed out.

"The world isn't going to end if we don't," Eli agreed.

"I guess," Noah mumbled. "It's just weird." Shaking his head, he turned back to his sheet of paper. "Most Likely to Survive in the Wild? Bella, obviously. Most Likely to Break Hearts? Well, now that's she's dating me, she's going to have to break hearts, so Isabella. And the male for that one, me!"

Isabella rolled her eyes as she followed her new boyfriend back to her seat. Imogen was surprised that Isabella and Noah are even dating in the first place. What did she miss out on? Did they start dating at Prom? She had no idea.

Soon the only people not seated were Imogen and Eli. Imogen felt a tingle, a rush of exhilaration as she glanced over at him.

"So, who are you voting for?" he casually asked.

"Um, I'm not sure yet," she responded. She figured she would probably vote for him on the Most Likely to Break Heart one just because she found him to be the most candid anyways considering his reputation at Degrassi. "How about you?"

"I have kind of an idea," he responded, his eyes intense as they burned into hers.

Imogen smiled, a giddy feeling rising up inside of her. Quickly, she glanced around the classroom and saw that everyone was either busy filling out the sheet for Class Favorites or working on their one-page essay that was due the next day. As her eyes raked over Bianca, the brunette glanced up, smiling as she saw her and Eli talking.

"See you later," Imogen said, so softly she wasn't even sure he heard her, as she turned away.

xxx

Imogen looked up the next day in Geology, a small smile crawling on her lips as her eyes connected briefly with Eli's. As if he called to her, she got up, her fingers subtlety touching his as she passed his table. After throwing away a few scraps of paper she recently found, she brushed past him again, the tips of her fingers once more brushing his.

xxx

"So do you have any plans for this weekend?" A cute brunette with bright green eyes asked the gruff dark brown-haired man sitting at the next table, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

_Yes, _Imogen thought.

"Just busy," he responded uninterestedly back.

Still the girl persisted, "Well, maybe you should come with me and my friends to go see a movie," she offered, smiling down at him. Imogen glanced over at her shoulder to see the girl. While Eli sat down, she leaned against his table, her feet kicked out in front of her.

_She's really cute, _Imogen thought. _She has really cute clothes too, _she added in her mind as she took in the brunette's clothes, a tight black tank top underneath a light pink floral tube top and denim cutoffs.

"And then after we see the movie, we could just hang out in the mall," she continued. "By the way, we'll be going to the mall by the block."

Imogen had to smile at the girl's persistence.

Ah, foolishness.

"Thanks for the offer," He started slowly, his face blank of any emotion. "But no. Like I said, I'm busy. I'm busy every weekend."

The girl's eyebrow twitched this time at this information. "You can't make an exception for this weekend?"

"No, I can't," He responded stonily back.

Finally, the girl sighed, and walked away, starting up a conversation with another boy in their class.

Imogen got up again, and picked up tiny scraps from the table, as if working in a clean, scrap free environment was actually important to her. As she walked over to the trash can, her fingers brushed Eli's again, as they had yesterday.

Imogen looked over her shoulder to see the brunette deep in conversation with the boy now, both of them smiling and laughing as they talked. Imogen smiled.

Didn't she know Eli's only exception was her?

_Our little secret, _Imogen thought, brushing pass Eli again.

xxx

Imogen stared at the clock, watching the hands slowly inch closer to the time the bell rang for fifth period to end. She thought of last year and all the drama she had endured. She thought of all the girls who had liked Eli from the very beginning, most, if not all, liking him for his looks and his reputation as a strong person.

_All those rumors, all those stories about us. _Briefly Imogen wondered why people made such things up; she also wondered how people even came up with those stories and rumors. Was it just speculation? Was it jealousy? Or was it just stupidity or something else?

Imogen tore her eyes away from the clock for a second to glance over her shoulder at Eli who was currently absorbed in reading a book. She smiled at the sight of him, those familiar butterflies tickling her stomach. She turned back to the clock, watching its hands slowly move closer to the one…

She ran her fingers through her hair, and bit her lower lip. She leaned back in her chair, and recalled her prom at Degrassi High School and then recalled her prom just a week ago.

Imogen was amazed by how much different she felt now. A week ago she had felt like a mess, as if everything in her life was screwed up. But now, she didn't feel that way. She felt stronger, braver. She felt more like her usual optimistic, confident self, no longer scared of the future.

_It's funny how things can change in an instant, _Imogen thought, once more thinking of her disastrous prom night at Degrassi. _One moment I was on top of the world, the next I had fallen off it._

But as Imogen now knew, every problem had a solution. Some problems were easy to solve while others were harder and more difficult to solve. Imogen was just now working her way through her more difficult ones.

As the clock's big hand and little hand pointed respectively at the twelve and one, the bell rang.

Students shuffled out of the class as Mr. Nieves dismissed the class. Imogen, Bianca, and Eli were the last ones out, waiting for the crowded doorway to clear up before exiting.

"See you, Imogen," Bianca said, waving as she headed off for her next class.

Imogen gave a small wave back, smiling. She rounded the corner behind Mr. Nieves' classroom, and like she had done every day for the past week, she glanced behind her but saw no one around. She felt her heart speed up as she saw Eli, leaning against the wall like he always he had also been doing for the past week after Geology.

Her eyes flicked up shyly as she approached him, a small smile gracing her lips. He smirked down at her, and she slipped one hand into his, holding it up while his other hand played a lock of her hair. Imogen closed her eyes, cherishing the moment.

_I wonder, _she thought, _what the people at Degrassi would think if they could see us now._

**Author's Note: This chapter was short. But it was for a certain reason.**

**Next chapter, be aware of…**

_**Degrassi Prom**_

**The Prom where Imogen has closure. **

**Are you ready? Are you ready to go back to Prom held at Degrassi where all the horrible memories lives? Are you ready to remember everything? **

**To answer that question, I'm sure not.**

**Review, if you're ready. ;D**


	22. Silver and Gold

**Author's Note: Okay, so before you read everything that goes down in this chapter, I suggest get some juice, soda, snacks, popcorn or whatever the hell that keeps you satisfied and prepared! You can't just go on reading this without SOMETHING okay, haha, or many you can, idek, do whatever you feel like!**

**WARNING: Some of you might end up crying (possibly).**

Fog rolled across the street, making it hard for Imogen to see the night sky. She thought this was rather funny considering the theme of the prom was called "Secrets of the Night" and had to do with the night sky and the stars. She glanced around, taking in the sight of her best friends.

Becky, in her strapless cherry red ball gown, her makeup all natural and a red bow in her hair; Fiona, in a ball gown that resembled the yellow gown Beauty wore in Beauty in the beast, her long brown-colored hair falling over her shoulders in waves; Alli, looking like a star in her shimmering lime green ball gown, her brown hair in a bun on top of her head with strands framing her face; Rana looked surprisingly girlish in her pale orange one-shouldered gown.

Imogen turned back to the window she was staring out, a knot of fear and anxiety growing inside of her as the fog began to fade and she could make out the glow of the city lights in the distant.

_Breathe, _she instructed herself, goose bumps rising on her arms. _Just breathe and you'll be okay._ She shivered, her chest tightening as she saw a sign that informed her they had now entered Canada. _It's going to be alright, you're going to be okay._

How could she be so scared of a place she had spent half of her life in? It made absolutely no since to be afraid of a place because of one lousy night that happened almost a year ago. It was just stupid, so stupid.

Nonetheless, Imogen still sunk in her seat as they approached the high school. She could make out many familiar faces, each of them beaming or laughing, looking as if they were already having the time of their lives as they enjoyed the last high school dance.

_I shouldn't be here, _Imogen thought. She was eternally grateful the limo's windows were tinted.

In the distant she made out the outline of another limo on the other side of the parking lot. _I wonder if that's the guys' limo? _she briefly wondered.

"Are you ready, Imogen?"

The brunette looked up to see all her friends watching her, waiting for her response. She smiled, trying to not let her doubt and fears show.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" She declared.

Which she supposed was true.

"Okay, then let's go."

Fiona stepped out of the limo. Becky and Alli stepped out after her. Rana stayed a few extra seconds to give her a supportive squeeze on the arm and a smile.

"You'll be fine," She promised. "We'll make sure of it."

She smiled. "Thanks, Rana."

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door just as Rana did. A cool breeze greeted her as she stepped out, the world becoming so clear and detailed in front of her. For a moment, it felt as if time had stopped, if only to give her a chance to take in the scene.

When time unfroze, she watched as head after head of her ex-classmates began to turn towards her. _Maybe they forgot me, _she thought hopefully. No such luck. Their eyes lighting up in surprise as their mouths formed an equally shocked 'O'.

It was like a domino effect almost. Words would turn to silence just a few feet away from them, and then that silence would spread farther and farther away until everybody in the parking lot was suddenly staring at her with a look of surprise on their face.

She felt her friends begin to surround her, as if to protect her, as they formed a circle around her while still giving her enough space to breathe.

No. Of course they wouldn't forget her. She was their freshman and sophomore president, their junior head cheerleader and their straight A student. She had been their precious "silver metal" for nearly three years. She had left, but she had never been forgotten.

As she took a step forward, so did her friends.

"_I remember what you wore on the first day. You came into my life and I thought 'Hey, you know, this could be something."_

As the six girls walked by, Imogen end in the center, the night grew quiet aside from the occasional person murmuring something to the person next to them.

The night felt unreal, as if it was just a dream, or as if she was just playing the lead part of a heroine in a movie. She could feel the stares of everybody on her as she walked by. She felt her chest pinch, but she forced herself to continue to exhale and inhale evenly, in and out, in and out, the world still amazingly detailed around her.

"_Cause everything you do and words you say, You know that it all takes my breath away And now I'm left with nothing."_

"_That's Imogen Moreno…" _Imogen heard a girl whisper as she walked by.

_"She's back…"_

_"I thought she moved…"_

_"What is she doing back here?"_

_"I thought her and her friends got into a big fight and were no longer talking! What the heck…"_

_"I'm surprised she came back here, after what happened last prom…"_

_"Wait, who is she? What happened last prom?"_

_"You don't know her since you just moved here a month ago, but she was like…the __**queen**__ of this school until last prom."_

_"Wait, you mean... she's…?"_

_"Man, she is gutsy, coming back here…"_

_"Ohmygosh…she's back…"_

_"Why is she back?"_

_"Imogen Moreno…"_

So many familiar faces, and yet in the crowd she could see faces she had never seen before, of new students that had moved to Canada after she left. Their faces portrayed their confusion and curiosity, having heard of the famous brunette but having never seen her up until now.

_"She's really pretty…"_

It was like the whole Senior class of Degrassi High was there.

It was as if the whole Senior class was watching her as she made her way to the auditorium with her tight group of friends.

"_So maybe it's true that I can't live without you. And maybe two is better than one."_

Imogen glanced over her shoulder as they walked. Over her shoulder she saw the other white limo, and she watched as five figures climbed out. She smiled as she saw the silhouette of Eli, outlined in the dark by the moonlight.

When she looked forward again she saw everybody was still watching her. Briefly she wondered what people saw or thought when they saw her. Did she look the same to them? Or different?

Her eyes met with a brunette who was in her English class last year. The brunette looked away, shocked and flustered.

Did they see the same silver metal they had labeled her as the first day of school? The pretty, perfect popular girl who had everything? Or did they see something different, like a newer, stronger version of that silver metal, a combination of the silver she was at Degrassi and the girl she was at WGU who had struggled to fit in?

Imogen felt her hands unconsciously clench her dress. Shakily she breathed in, out. In, out. The music banged all around her let it sounded so far away to her. Imogen closed her eyes, her world turning black, before slowly opening them again to an overwhelming world of colors.

_Breathe, _Imogen ordered herself. _In, out. In, out. I'm okay. I'm going to be okay._

Rana glanced over her shoulder, and this time a few people followed her gaze to see the girl's dates and Eli. They assumed Eli could not be Imogen's date considering what happened at the last prom.

More hushed whispers broke out at the sight of Eli.

"_But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life. And you've already got me coming undone."_

_"Eli's here!"_

_"But Imogen's here too!"_

_"Does he know she's here?"_

_"Of course not. He can't possibly know. How can he?"_

_"Oh dear, what's going to happen next?"_

Imogen ignored the whispers and looked only straight ahead, focused on the dancing gold lights of the auditorium where music was booming inside. More faces turned towards her at the sight of five girls in big gowns. At first they didn't see her, but then when they did, their eyes widened.

Imogen looked up to see the auditorium's roof was decorated with glowing neon stars of all sizes, their colors ranging from white to gold to pale blue. In the middle of the replicated night sky, hanging in the middle of the ceiling by some chain or something, was a glowing white ball that was supposed to resemble the full moon.

As the girls walked by, people parted, as if afraid to touch them, or more specifically, _her_. It was like they were afraid they would set off some chain reaction if they made any kind of contact with them. Fiona linked arms with her suddenly and Becky followed her example. Imogen felt a smile bloom on her previously stoic face.

"_And I'm thinking two is better than one."_

Whenever Imogen closed her eyes, she saw a girl with all her faults and flaws, all her imperfections, out in the open for everyone to see, for everyone to judge. She saw a girl being torn to pieces as she entered a dark era in her life. She remembered the crowd taunting her, like a bunch of monsters.

_I am strong. I am not alone. I will be fine. I am fine…_

Imogen repeated this in her mind.

_I am not the same girl from a year ago. I am stronger. Stronger. I am so much stronger now. I am._

_"She better hope Eli doesn't see her…"_

_"He was so mad at her last time he saw her…"_

_"She broke his heart…"_

_"Guys…he broke her heart too."_

_"She cheated on him."_

_"No, she didn't. That was just a rumor."_

Imogen ignored the murmurs that filled the room at her presence. She kept her eyes straight ahead and her chin held high. She was not going to cry; she was not going to break again.

No, not again. She was stronger now, so much stronger.

This had been the place where she fell; now this was the place where she was going to pick herself back up.

"_I remember every look upon your face. The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste. You make it hard for breathing."_

She wondered what she looked like to her old classmates.

The ghost of Last Year's Prom Queen, the ghost of someone beautiful, but imperfect.

_"She looks like how she did at last prom, before that thing with her and Eli went down…"_

_"She looks so strong…"_

She wondered what she looked like to the new students at Degrassi High School who had only heard stories of her but had never actually seen or known her.

The fallen queen had returned, beautiful and strong, graceful and proud, no longer broken or weak.

_"She's beautiful…"_

_"Is that really her?"_

_"She is really pretty…"_

And then silence.

_"It's Eli…"_

"_Cause when I close my eyes and drift away, I think of you and everything's okay. I'm finally now believing."_

Imogen looked up. Sure enough there was Eli, in a white dress shirt and black pants, a bored expression on his face. Suddenly he turned towards her and their eyes locked. The loud chatter of voices died down to whispers as their ex-classmates noticed the confrontation.

"_We're through."_

"_You're breaking up with me?"_

"_Looks like not everybody thinks you're so perfect now."_

"_Eli—!"_

"_You're so pathetic."_

"_You know what Eli…"_ The broken silver metal stood up.

"_You can give me silver," _she threw her silver earrings to the floor.

"_You can give me gold," _she ripped off the golden necklace placed on her neck.

"_But…if you can't even trust me,"_ her voice wavered. What would be her next words? _"Then its better we're over."_ And she pushed through the crowd and ran for the door, fleeing into the night.

As far as the senior class of Degrassi High School knew, that was the last place they left off.

The tension grew. Murmurs rippled through the crowd, soon spreading to half the students in the cafeteria of the two's fateful reunion.

What would happen next?

All eyes were on them, waiting for screaming or crying or some drama of any kind to break out between the two. However, the two just stared at each other, as if they were the only people in the room.

"_Then maybe it's true that I can't live without you. And maybe two is better than one."_

Suddenly Eli took a step forward.

Nearly everybody in the room was holding their breath. What would happen next?

Imogen smiled as she closed the distance between them, shocking everybody who could see the two as she intertwined their fingers and he slipped an arm around her waist as he pulled her closer.

What…the…_hell_ did they miss?

"_But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life. And you've already got me coming undone."_

_"What's happening?"_

_"What is everybody looking at?"_

_"What's going on? What are they doing?"_

"_And I'm thinking two is better than one."_

Last year's prom was the past.

Right now she was living in the present, and she wanted to cherish every moment of it.

Imogen's eyes slipped close as she laid her head against Eli's chest, ignoring the murmurs in the background and even the music that played in the background, listening only to the sound of Eli's heart against her ear.

_This is our dance, _she decided. _The dance we never got as Prom Queen and King. _Imogen smiled at the thought, warmth spreading through her whole body.

"_I remember what you wore on the first day, You came into my life and I thought, hey (hey, hey)."_

_Pop!_

Somebody was taking pictures.

_Pop! Pop!_

_"She is so brave, coming back after what happened at prom last year."_

_"Yeah. I know I sure wouldn't have had the guts to come back if something that horrible happened to me at prom last year!"_

_Pop!_

_I moved on from last year, _Imogen thought. _I got over it. I forgot and forgave._

_Pop!_

All the names they called her…

_"Whore!"_

_"Slut!"_

_"Bitch!"_

_"You aren't a silver metal, you're a fake!"_

_Pop!_

It didn't matter now. She forgave them.

Just like she forgave Eli…

_"You're pathetic…" he repeated again, this time softly. "And you still can't come up with any excuses for why you're a cheating whore?" he asked, a sneer in his voice. "But then again, there really are no excuses for being one."_

They hadn't known any better.

She felt Eli's grip tighten around her waist as they danced and she smiled, no longer haunted by the flaws or doubts in their relationship. All that mattered was that he was with her now.

"_Maybe it's true that I can't live without you. Maybe two is better than one."_

Everything she had been worried about only minutes earlier, it all suddenly didn't matter anymore. She no longer cared what the people of Degrassi thought of her. They could think she was a slut all they wanted; they could even still think she was the perfect silver metal as before. Good thoughts or bad thoughts, she no longer cared about what they thought of her.

As Imogen pulled away from Eli, she briefly closed her eyes, and she watched as image after image played in her mind at an incredible speed of her last prom at Degrassi.

The secrets.

The break up.

The drama.

Her meltdown.

In her mind she saw it all so clearly, a girl with all her faults and flaws, all her imperfections, out in the open for everyone to see, for everyone to judge. She saw a girl being torn to pieces as she entered a dark era in her life. She remembered the crowd taunting her, like a bunch of monsters.

When she opened her eyes again, she was staring into Eli's emerald green eyes. She was keenly aware of all her friends watching her, smiles painting their features. The faces of Fiona, Becky, Rana, Alli, and Bianca popped into her mind. She looked around, at the faces of all her friends plus Jose, Adam, Dave, and then Fitz. She smiled as she saw Dallas appear beside Rana as he snaked an arm around her waist.

"_There's so much time to figure out the rest of my life. And you've already got me coming undone."_

Imogen knew almost everyone who had witnessed the terrible drama from the year before were shocked. Heck, they were probably all pinching themselves at the very moment, wondering how the hell two people who had left off on such bad terms last year were now dancing together this year, as if they were still a _were _a couple.

_(Two months earlier – WGU Prom)_

"Imogen," her eyes snapped up at the sound of Eli's voice. "You want this, don't you?" he asked. "I thought you wanted this."

"I do want this…but," Eli's eyes darkened as she said the last word. "We already tried this once, and we both know what happened. It didn't work out."

"That was last year though," he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Imogen closed her eyes, fighting back the tears. "But that doesn't change anything. That doesn't mean…"

Eli's eyes flashed, and he turned away, his hands now formed into fists at his side. "It doesn't mean what? Just say it. You know you want to." He growled, and Imogen was taken aback by the venom in his voice.

"Say what?"

What did he think she was going to say?

"You know what," he growled, and he turned towards her again. She was startled by the anger he saw in his dark emerald eyes. "It doesn't mean the same thing won't happen again. That I won't be an ass and hurt you again like I did!"

"That—that wasn't what I was going to say!" She cried, stunned by his outburst. "Eli!"

"But it's what you're thinking, huh?" He asked, a sneer present in his voice. Suddenly, he turned away again, a look of disgust painting his features. "I was an ass to you, and you won't ever forget it. And you shouldn't. I was stupid and a fool to follow you here." He spoke those last words mostly to himself as he turned to walk away, anguish now filling his eyes.

Imogen watched him, tears gathering in her eyes. Her heart felt torn in two—conflicted—between what she wanted and what she feared. What did she fear anyway? It wasn't heartbreak, Imogen was certain.

What she feared was the future.

"Eli…" she choked out his name, tears falling freely down her cheeks as she closed her eyes. And suddenly, her strength gone, she felt more sobs rack her chest as tears slipped down her cheeks.

She had never had her heartbroken before Eli. Sure, she had had plenty of boyfriends and plenty of break ups to go with them, but never before had she felt so strongly for somebody until she met Eli.

Sure, he was real jerk sometimes and he caused her anguish and heartache but he was still the only guy who made filled her heart with much elation and gave her butterflies in her stomach. He was still the only guy to fill her with warmth and the only guy she thought of day and night. The only guy she wanted a happy ending with…

"Don't…go…Eli," she gasped, and suddenly she was running after him. Her vision blurred by tears, she could barely make out Eli's blurred figure as he slowly turned around.

"Oof!"

"I'm not scared of you, Eli!" she sobbed, holding onto him, her arms wrapped desperately around his torso and her face buried in his chest. "I'm not scared you'll hurt me. I trust you, I do. I-I just don't trust myself, or our classmates. I'm scared of the future, not you…"

Eli's arms remained stiff at his side, and for a moment Imogen feared her declaration had meant nothing to him.

"Please forgive yourself, Eli…everybody makes mistakes."

And finally, his arms shifted. Slowly, he lifted them before placing the palm of his hands on her shoulders. For an awful moment she thought he was going to push her away; he did push her away.

But she had nothing to fear…

His hands remained on her shoulders, even after he pushed her away from his chest. Timidly, Imogen glanced up, not sure what she would see when she looked into his eyes.

His eyes were cool and controlled. Any emotion that had previously been present in his eyes—anger, anguish—were now gone.

He had always been the stronger one, the less emotional one. Imogen smiled at this thought, but it felt strained.

"Imogen, if we do this…I need to know that you're all in."

She reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand. His eyes widened and she felt his body tense upon her touch. She smiled again and this time it didn't feel so strain. Slowly, she stood on her toes and reached up with her face, her lips brushing his in the sweetest of kisses before departure. "I am all in…" she murmured, staring into his eyes.

"We can make this work…" She whispered, a smile on her face as moisture filled her eyes. She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "I know we can."

Eli exhaled shakily, his eyes briefly closing. He squeezed her hand back, bringing it to his cheek.

"We can…" he whispered, agreeing.

_(Present Day…)_

_And I'm thinking, ooh, I can't live without you. 'Cause, baby, two is better than one."_

It was just so magical and dream-like. It was as if she had died and was in Heaven, dancing with Eli in his arms.

It felt so good…knowing he was there with her and that they were together again. Sure, they have technically been back together for about two months now, but now…being out in the open with Eli, letting everyone see them for what they were – a couple – it was if they had never ended. It was as if they had just been separated for some time and now they were back together and had ended.

"I love you," He said softly.

"I love you," Imogen smiled softly as she leaned in and captured his lips with hers. Everyone around them gasped, astonished.

"_There's so much time to figure out the rest of my life. But I figured out with all that's said and done."_

Eli wrapped his arms tighter around her waist before pulling away from the kiss. She could feel his heart pounding against her, steady and reassuring. Something pulled inside of Imogen. It was like this kiss was to prove to everyone that they truly loved and each other…and they're meant to be…

She squeezed her eyes shut, but the memories continued to flow around her, the memories flooding her senses. She breathed in slowly, a single tear escaping her eyes.

This moment was so perfect.

Perfect…

But being perfect had never worked out for her.

"It's okay…" Eli murmured. Imogen's eyes snapped open, and she jumped slightly, shocked.

"It's like nothing changed," She whispered, smiling, despite the tears that were now flowing freely down her face.

"_Two is better than one."_

It suddenly occurred to her that while it felt that way now it wouldn't always feel that way. In less than a month her and Eli would graduate and then they would only have the summer before everything changed and they separate.

And Eli went to Florida.

A thousand miles away.

Imogen pushed this thought away. _It doesn't matter, _she thought. _He loves me. He told me for the first time, right here, right now, in front of everyone…And the distance and time won't change a thing. Long-distance relationships can work out._

"That's because it hasn't," He responded. She nodded, using the back of her hand to wipe her tears away.

"You're right. It hasn't," She agreed, pulling away from his arms to smile up at him.

"_Two is better than one…"_

"Hey, you're Imogen Moreno, right?" A boy, muscular with tawny brown hair, exclaimed. "I've heard about you! You were famous for getting dissed at prom!"

Immediately Imogen tensed. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Eli tense too. His fists clenched at his sides.

"I heard your boyfriend—well, now ex-boyfriend—told you off and put you in your place for cheating on him! Like, you were sleeping around with other guys, and he found out about it, so he put you in your place!" The boy laughed and another guy with blonde hair—his friend, Imogen guessed—laughed with him and high-fived him.

"That's why you don't sleep around, dude. I mean, you don't want to end up like her, and have to switch schools! That's just pathetic!"

Tears began to fill Imogen's eyes and she began to shake, bad memories from that night rising up inside her. She didn't even know those guys!

"The only thing pathetic around here is you two," Eli growled, glaring at the two boys.

"Who are you calling pathetic?" The blonde-haired guy growled, rolling up his sleeves. Eli stepped forward, his dark eyes cold and hostile.

"Eli, don't…!" she whispered, half-pleading.

"Eli? Ey, you're not Elijah Goldsworthy, are you? You were her boyfriend who told her off! I heard you two were back together, but I don't believe it! Dude, high five for telling off that slut!" The tawny-haired boy grinned, oblivious to the death glare Eli was now giving her.

Suddenly Eli stepped forward, and if she hadn't stepped out in front of him, Imogen swore he would have punched him. "Don't, he's not worth it!" she told him, touching his arm. His eyes softened as she looked into them, teary-eyed and pleading.

"Hey, what's your problem, man?" the blonde-haired guy growled, glaring at Eli. "You looking for trouble?"

Eli tore his eyes from hers and glared back at him. He straightened to his full height, and tearing his arm away from Imogen, he took a step towards the boy. Unconsciously, he backed away from Eli who was about a full foot taller than him.

"Imogen is not a slut. So if you dare call her a slut one more time, or any of your other pathetic names, and I'll make sure you live to suffer," He growled menacingly, taking one more step closer to the boy threateningly.

Immediately, the boy nodded, realizing that he was no match for Eli. After all, it was well known he was a tough guy around these streets.

Eli turned his glare to the tawny-haired boy next. "The same goes for you," He said coldly. The boy swallowed uneasily and nodded, a frown painting his lips.

"G-got it," he stuttered. The two backed away slowly before finally turning away and hurrying off.

"I don't get it," the tawny-haired boy whispered. "He called her all those names and worst last year…why can't we?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he suddenly decides he loves her. _Whatever_."

"That was unnecessary," Imogen told him, frowning. "You could get kicked out for making threats and trying to start a fight."

Eli shrugged; a frustrated frown now painted across his face. "They deserved it," he muttered.

Imogen could sense that Eli was having some internal conflict with himself, and she drew nearer and placed a hand on his arm. Slowly, he turned towards her and she smiled.

"Well, thank you. You know, for defending me…" she told him sincerely. "It really means a lot to me…"

He smirked slightly, and then said, his voice soft as the music died down. "I think they're about to announce prom queen and king…"

_**"Attention! The results for Prom Queen and King are in!"**_ The DJ, a dude with blond dreadlocks, announced.

Immediately everybody quieted. For a moment, Imogen felt her skin prickle as a sense of déjà vu washed over. Nobody had been paying attention last year when they were about to announce the results for Prom Queen and King. Everyone had instead been paying attention to her and Eli and the fight they were having.

_I was Prom Queen last year… _Imogen suddenly remembered, shocked.

For a moment a wave of sadness and regret washed over her, making her chest tight and her eyes wet.

As if sensing her distress, Eli glanced over at her and wrapped an arm her, pulling her close to him as he squeezed her should supportively.

_**"You guys have voted, and this year's Prom Queen and King will be…"**_

Imogen waited, wondering who it would be. Becky? Rana? Alli? Fiona?

_**"Rebecca Baker and Adam Torres!"**_

Imogen clapped automatically, smiling. Well, of course Adam would be voted Prom King. He was one of the nicest and friendliest people around, plus he was now the top attractive guy at school with Eli gone. And it didn't surprise her Becky was Prom Queen. She was well-liked, popular, smart and one of the prettiest girls Imogen knew.

Thinking about it, Imogen realized that in a way Becky reminded her of everything everyone had once called her: a silver metal.

But Becky wasn't perfect. Imogen knew that. Nobody was perfect, after all.

She watched as Becky and Adam made their way onto the stage and accepted their crowns.

Adam grinned. "Thanks everybody for voting me for Prom King! You guys ROCK!"

Everyone cheered and clapped loudly as Adam waved and grinned even bigger before handing the microphone off to Becky.

"Show off…" Eli grumbled, scowling. Imogen rolled her eyes and jabbed him gently in the ribs.

"Be nice," she scolded.

Becky smiled and waited patiently for everyone to quiet down. Finally, everyone stopped cheering and clapping and the room grew exceptionally quiet aside from a few whispers here and there as they waited for Becky to speak.

"First off, I want to dedicate this to my best friends – Fiona, Alli, Rana, and of course, Imogen Moreno."

The whispers stopped and the auditorium grew even quieter at the mention of her name. Imogen felt herself blush, and feeling self-conscious, she began to pick at her dress.

"All of you, or maybe just some of you, may remember Imogen. She was the head cheerleader at this school. She was also an honor student and had one of the highest GPA's in this school. Her mom also used to own all the _Silver _stores in this town before she sold them. Now the key word is _was_. Her mom got a new job, which was in another state, so she ended up moving with her mom to New York."

Imogen could feel eyes on her now, but she wouldn't dare meet anyone's eyes, so she just kept her eyes on the ground.

"Before she moved though, Imogen was crowned last year's Prom Queen, but due to some_ unfortunate_ _circumstances_, Imogen never really got a chance to receive her crown and truly be Prom Queen. And just so you all know, especially all the idiots out there who believe every damn thing that comes out of someone's lips whether it's true or false, Imogen is one of the most beautiful, amazing, inspiring person I know! She's not perfect and she has flaws, but nobody in this room is perfect. Imogen, you are strong, and you have inspired me so much in this last year, so with that being said, thank you."

Suddenly someone intertwined their arm with hers, and when she looked up her eyes connected with fire brown ones. Bianca smiled at her, and when she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Jose, Fiona, Rana, and Alli, all of them smiling as they linked arms with one another. When she looked up at Becky, their eyes connected, and Becky was also smiling.

"Thank you for being so strong and coming here tonight, even after all the crap that happened last year. Never let anyone tell you who you are, and stay strong!"

At that moment, she _was_ glad she came.

"Oh, and by the way, girls, you stop can drooling over Eli already. He's taken. With Imogen. Yeah, it's not that surprising really. Anyway, um, sorry for my colorful language, and now that I've said that…Um, thank you to everyone who voted me for their prom queen! Thank you and goodnight!"

**Author's Note: Awwwww, wasn't this so sweet and adorable? I can't even - MY FEELS.**

**How are you guys feeling?**

**I'm feeling overwhelmed with my emotions. :'D**

**Anyway, I am sorry to disappoint you guys, but sadly…the next chapter is the last chapter. D: I can't believe how far I've gotten through this story…so much went down, so much shit, I can't even.**

**The song I used for this chapter is: **_**Two Is Better Than One by Boys Like Girls ft. Taylor Swift.**_

**Please review and I promise you guys the last chapter would be nice.**


	23. Never Ending

**Author's Note: The final chapter of Silver and Gold is here. Thank you guys for taking time for reading this story, it really means a lot. Although some of my favorite readers stopped reading, some of you still stuck to this story and that makes me smile. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did.**

**And remember, in the real world, there are so many people out there who loves to create rumors. Rumors can really destroy a person and it can also destroy relationships. This is what I've heard, so I decided to create this story because I thought I can show a way to overcome those rumors in this story. I made Imogen go through a lot, as you can see. As for Eli, I made him so handful ****— or shall I say complicated. Imogen and Eli is my favorite couple on Degrassi, although their relationship never lasted and Eli**** is happy with Clare and all...but this is how I pictured Imogen and Eli to be. I pictured their relationship and their struggles like **_**this **_**in **_**this **_**story. On the show, I honestly didn't like how the writers put them together in one episode and destroyed them in less than 5 seconds. That really upsetted me. But, whatever, haha. **

**I wonder what it would be like if this fanfic turned into a movie... imagine how EPIC that would be! O:**

**Anyway, to sum up the proven point all together for this story; Rumors has the power to destroy a person.**

"Is everybody ready?" Fiona yelled.

"Yeah!"s, "Heck yeah!"s, and "Let's go!" were the cheers she got as a response.

Imogen fanned herself with one hand as she watched all her friends clamber into the two cars that were filled to the brim with clothes, chairs, umbrellas, beach towels, and everything else they would need for a week-long trip to the beach.

She smiled as she climbed into the seat next to Eli. Jose was already in the driver seat, while Fiona rode shotgun and Adam and Becky sat behind her and Eli. Meanwhile everyone else (namely Bianca, Fitz, Rana, Dave, and Alli), rode in the Expedition, the only other mode of transportation they had available.

As Fiona cranked up the car's radio so a song—Understand by Toi—was blaring in all of their ears.

"_Understand, I don't wanna love you no more. I don't wanna be here no more. I don't wanna need you no more._"

_I can't believe school has been out for a week already,_ she thought as she turned her attention to the window and the landscape outside. _No, what I really can't believe is that it's been a week since I've been a first year of College graduate._

It felt like just yesterday she had just met Eli, or as if just yesterday she been just entered high school as a freshman.

_I didn't even know Eli existed when I was a freshman_, she thought, pursing her lips. _Damn, that's weird._

It felt as if she had known Eli her whole life. It felt wrong knowing that at one time she hadn't even known he had existed. She knew she had known him for a little less than sixteen months, but it didn't feel that way. Thinking back on her life before she met Eli, she just couldn't help but think she had known him, she just hadn't met him.

Imogen bit her lip as she remembered all the guys she had dated from eighth grade up until she met Eli. She had liked them all to a certain degree, and she had been determined to give them a shot, her reasoning being that maybe they would finally be the one. But there had always been something wrong, something missing.

Until she met Eli.

He had been different. He had made her feel different. She had actually liked him. A lot. Not at first since he had been a jerk to her, but then, as she actually got to know him, she started to fall for him.

He had changed her, but in a good way. He had made her stronger, and she only hoped that in some way, whether small or big, she had made him stronger too.

Unconsciously, she reached over and grabbed Eli's hand.

_He'll be leaving soon…_ she thought as she turned to face him. _He'll be at American Intercontinental University in Florida, and I'll be at White Gold University here in New York. All in all, we'll be about a thousand miles away from each other…_

Nervously, she began to chew her lip. But what did that mean for them? She still didn't know. Yeah, they were boyfriend/girlfriend now, but would that last when they didn't even know when they would be a thousand miles apart? When they didn't even know when they would be able to see each other again?

_We're going to have to bring it up sometime_… she thought, sweating slightly. _We have to…_ But already she was dreading the conversation.

She was staring out the window and going through several different scenarios in her head on how to start the dreaded conversation and how it could lead when her eyelids started to feel heavy and she drifted off to sleep.

She was in some poorly lit store and she was running through the aisles, desperation coursing through her along with the fear that she was already too late.

It was one of those fuzzy dreams where although you couldn't see much, you just knew what was happening, even if you didn't know the exact reason why it was happening.

_Eli! I need to find,_ she kept thinking, the panicked thought playing again and again in her mind as her fear grew.

She needed to find him before he left. What if he left before she got the chance to see him one last time, and she never saw him again?

She needed to find him! She needed to kiss him one last time before he went. She needed to know what would happen next! She needed to know what would become of them!

So she ran through the dimly-lit room that was bathed in a sepia light that made everything around her look fuzzy and hard to see, feeling close to tears.

When Imogen blinked open her eyes, fragments of the fuzzy dream replaying in her head, she felt as if she had just missed out on some important opportunity.

Her heart pounding loudly in her chest, she forced herself to look where Eli was sitting and felt her heart jump in her chest.

He was gone!

No! It was only a dream! N-no, he can't be gone—

"Finally, you're awake," a voice grumbled as he climbed in beside her.

Imogen couldn't help it, she screamed.

"What the hell," Eli said, glaring at her. "Would you calm down, it's only me. I'm not some murderer here to kill you."

"S-sorry," she squeaked. "I… you, uh, scared me. Badly."

"Obviously," Eli snorted. "Here, I got you some coffee," he said, shoving the white Starbucks cup into her hand.

"Uh, thanks?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hn."

He was about to slam the door shut again, when she stopped him. "Um, wait, I… I wanted to talk you."

"What?" he snapped, annoyed.

Imogen blinked, surprised by his attitude. "Are you okay?"

"Perfect," he responded, scowling, making it obvious to Imogen it was anything but perfect.

"Eli," she said, frowning. "What's wrong? I know something is wrong, so don't even try to deny it."

"You know you can be really annoying sometimes," he told her, his scowl deepening.

Imogen blinked again, this time hurt by his words. Then a thought struck her.

Was he having second thoughts about them?

As if sensing her thoughts, his face softened and he sighed. "It's nothing. It's just Noah, being a pain in the ass as always."

"What is he bugging you about this time?"

Eli's face tightened again.

"Did you argue?"

She took Eli's silence as a yes.

"Was this… while I was sleeping?"

Eli sighed again. "Yeah. Kind of."

Imogen tilted her head to the side, her brown locks falling over her shoulders. "What was it about?"

Like last time, he said nothing.

_How come he won't tell me_? She wondered.

"What was it about then?" she asked him, frustrated. "C'mon, please tell me. I'm your girlfriend. Maybe I can help somehow."

"It's nothing. Nothing."

"Doesn't sound like nothing," she responded, placing one hand on her hip. "Fine, whatever. If you're going to be stubborn, then fine, you can just keep having this fight with Noah."

"Weren't you going to ask me something?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah. But first, is Noah and everybody else getting snacks or something?" Eli nodded. "Okay, good, that should be a while then…"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I just… wanted to talk about…" She bit her lip, suddenly remembering her dream. Eli was gone. She had missed her chance. He had went on without her. But that had just been a dream; she wouldn't let that happen in reality. "…us."

Eli raised an eyebrow. "Us? What is there to talk about?" he asked, looking his shoulders.

Imogen felt her chest tighten as she forced out the next words. "Our future."

Again, he raised an eyebrow. "What is there to discuss?"

"Wellll, we are going to different college," she pointed out, trying to sound light-hearted and as if she wasn't totally freaking out over the subject.

Eli was silent, and at that moment Imogen fiercely wished Eli wasn't so hard to read or figure out.

_Damn him and his stony silence!_ She thought, briefly closing her eyes before continuing on.

"I just think… we should, um, talk about it. I mean, like, we'll be separated from each other and you might meet someone new a-and… and long-distance relationships are a lot of work and you might not want that, I mean, we'll be so far away from each other…"

Imogen breathed in shakily and was surprised when she realized her eyes were burning with hot tears. Damn it, she was not supposed to cry! She tried to blink them back, but they just ended up rolling down her cheeks.

No, no, no! Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry!

Quickly, she wiped the tears away from her cheeks.

"Why would us being farther apart change anything between us?"

Imogen was taken off-guard by Eli's question.

"Well, l-like I said. We'll be farther apart and you might meet someone else and I wouldn't be there all the time and… I dunno, you… you might decide I'm not worth it."

Not that she said the words they hung there, circulating her, suffocating her. What if she was right? What if he dumped her for someone else? What if he just gave up on her and decided she wasn't worth it? She hadn't even realized her fears until she had voiced them.

"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard," he declared, his expression blank.

"Well, it could happen!" she snapped back, glaring at him. "I mean, we barely graduated high school… we haven't even gone out for full year yet, and we've already broken up once. Now that we're going to be far apart… maybe it will happen."

"I always thought you were an optimist. When did you become a pessimist?"

"I'm not a pessimist. I'm just being realistic," she sighed, looking away. She couldn't bear to look into his eyes any longer.

"So basically you're afraid I'm going to find some girl that I like better than you, or that I will decide someday that I don't like you anymore or that you're not worth the time and effort anymore, or that you're simply not worth the trouble."

She bit her lip and nodded. She tensed herself as she waited for his next response.

"Like I said, that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard."

"Well—"

"Well nothing!" Imogen was shocked by the anger she heard in Eli's voice. "Damn it Imogen, look at me." Slowly, she turned towards him, her heart hammering in her chest.

He was still outside the car door while she was still inside, seated between the middle seat and the right seat which Eli had been sitting on. Her coffee had been left forgotten in one of the cup holders. Eli's gaze was intense as he stared at her, his eyes like a black hole that captivated her.

"There will never be any other girl, and I will never be stupid enough again to let you go." Imogen was shocked by the bold declaration and the truth she sensed behind it.

"You are the only girl I want. It doesn't matter if the girls at my college will be closer to me than you. They don't have what you have. They don't have the history we have. After everything we went through, there is not a chance I would let anything as petty as distance or some other girl get between us."

"You… you really mean that," she breathed, still stunned.

Eli's eyes softened then as he nodded.

"We have our differences, and we have our arguments. You can be extremely annoying at times, and your optimism can get on my nerves. I don't agree with a lot of the things you say and do, and the first time I met you I thought you were just another cliché bee queen. But it doesn't matter how mad you make me, or what you say or do, or if you have a lot of faults, because I will always love you."

Imogen's eyes widened as tears spilled from her eyes. "D-did you just say…?"

Eli nodded, his gaze firm. "I told you this once, and I'll tell you again. I love you, whether you're Imogen or Genny, and you're worth it."

Imogen laughed then, more tears spilling from her eyes. "I love you, too, Eli."

Leaning forward, his head tilted a few degrees, his lips found hers. He could feel the tears from her cheeks on his face and taste the saltiness of the tears on her lips. He pulled away for a few seconds to brush her bangs away from her face, and his eyes found hers. They were tinted red from crying but they shone happily as they met his, and he found himself getting lost in the beautiful dark brown color of her irises.

"You're worth it, too," she whispered, her breath tickling his lips. His eyes slipping close again he kissed her again, his thumb stroking her cheek.

_I'll love you forever and always. Nothing will ever come between us again._

Imogen moved herself on top of Eli, but Eli didn't hesitate. She pressed her lips harder against his, moving her lips with his in synch. She knew she was in the car with Eli, waiting for Noah, Jose, and Bianca, but she didn't care. She wanted to have this moment with him again.

Momentarily, she pulled her lips away from his and pulled his shirt over his head, getting it off. Eli stared at her face for a while, smirking slightly at her actions. He then decided to strip her clothes off after a few minutes until the two teens were completely naked.

Thank god it was dark outside, or else they would be screwed.

For a while, the two teens explored their love for each other once again.

It was worth it to tell her his true feelings.

xxx

Eli stared at the gate, where he will be leaving to Florida. He knew he wasn't ready to leave New York, his friends, or even Imogen…

He turned to face the girl he sincerely loved, feeling uneasy seeing those fresh tears running down her eyes. "I told you not to cry," he said.

Imogen closed her eyes and hugged him tightly, not wanting to let him go at all. "I don't want you to leave."

"And I don't want to leave either," he said, returning the hug. He kept his arms around her for a long while, turning his eyes to Jose which was currently standing a few feet away from them, watching them.

Sighing, Eli looked down at his girlfriend. "Don't worry; I'll always be there for you. And look, you have Jose and the others, they'll watch after you." He brushed his thumb against her cheek and pulled her chin up so she can face him. He began whispering, "I promise, I'll come back for you."

A light smile rose on Imogen's face. More tears kept running down her eyes, but she didn't care. She pressed her lips against his one last time, cherishing their last kiss for lord knows how many years.

Jose couldn't help but smile at them. He felt happy for them and he knew their love for each other will always be there. It's like they were Bella and Edward, and he was Jacob in this situation. He knew Jacob lost the battle, and so did he. But Jacob will always love Bella, although he will never have her for himself. And that, of course, is exactly the same situation Jose is going through. He is Jacob, Imogen is Bella, and Eli is Edward. Jose will always love Imogen, but he will never have her for himself. Imogen is Eli's, not his… maybe one day; he will find someone out there.

Imogen watched as Eli looked back at her one last time. Tears were running down her face endlessly and she just felt like she was dying on the inside, but she knew their love with last a lifetime.

Jose came up from behind Imogen and wrapped his arms around her from behind in comfort. Eli smiled at them and lifted his hand up at Jose, as if to say "goodbye my friend,". Jose did the same and felt tears beginning to sting at his eyes. Hell, he was going to cry too? Of course, this is Eli we're talking about here. Eli is his _best friend_ and he loves him a lot, so of course he's going to cry as well.

Finally, tears were beginning to sting in Eli's eyes. He blinked them back immediately and turned away. It was time for him to go and not to look back, yet… he pushed his feet forward and made his way into the gate where the doors behind him closed.

Imogen closed her eyes tightly and buried her face in Jose's chest, letting so much tears explode out of her. Jose held her tightly, tears running down his face as well. This was a very emotional moment for the two of them.

But Imogen and Jose knew he would be back…

Imogen knew Eli would keep his promise, that he will always love her and never leave her…

_He will be back… one day…_

"_In a never ending journey, the roads are split apart.__"_

_"Are you serious right now__? You're really considering on going on a date with __**her?**__"__"Is there a problem with that?" _The first time they've ever spoke to each other…

___"__A chapter wrote us in a story, I finished you or start.__"_

_"I've been thinking __**a lot **__about something lately__." "A lot about what?"__ "Something…" "What is that something?" "Oh, I don't know,"_When they shared their first kiss…

"_And even though it feels like the end, my friend…_"

"_Are you okay?" "I'__m fine, please keep going… don't stop_." All the wonderful memories… 

"_You know it's only the beginning. It's the beginning..._"

Until everything went haywire.

"_We're through." "You're breaking up with me?" "You thought you would be able to cheat on me and__ get away with it?" "Like I said before, if I was unhappy with this relationship, I wouldn't need to cheat!" .. "Thinking you're so much better than everybody else, thinking you can do whatever you want. Thinking you're so __**perfect **__all the time." __"Eli—!"_ _"A__nd you still can't come up with any excuses for why you're a cheating whore? But then again, there really are no excuses for being one." "You can give me silver, you can give me gold. But if you can't even trust me, then it's better we're over." _When glass pieces shattered everywhere… 

_"__Together we'll make a promise, to never forget it all. We've only scratched the surface, Of worlds we'll come to know._"

Then everything got worse… _"DON'T PRETEND YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM!" "Your name is Genny, isn't it? Genn__y Moreno?" _

"_Together moving forward, even though we're far apart.__"_

Until all the broken pieces were put back together again… _"Let's start over," "Start over?" "Yes.. start over," "Imogen, if we do this… I need to know that you're all in."_ _"I am all in…"_

"_So safe and sound inside our hearts, we keep our word until we are together once again…__"_

He got down on his knees and pulled out a box. The brunette felt her heart race beneath her chest as she stared down at the boy. What was he about to do?

"Marry me," he said.

Imogen stared at him in disbelief. Tears were beginning to sting in her eyes and she quickly nodded her head, answering his question. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Smiling, he got back up on his feet and kissed her passionately.

Distance doesn't mean anything, when someone means so much.

And a start of something new begins…

_**The End.**_

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading this story. :D I enjoyed writing this and having all of my readers interested in this. It really makes me happy how most of you stuck to this story until the very end. *tears of joy***

**So I'd like to thank my best friend, Ashley, for giving me the idea of putting Jose DeSousa into this story. Jose DeSousa was originally created by her for a certain RP (RolePlay) on twitter. And I thought he'd be perfect for this story...turns out he was haha, so thank you girl. (:**

**As for the other characters such as Noah, Isabella, Tyler, etc, were originally created by me. Noah is my favorite original character to be completely honest. I guess it's because he's hilarious? Well, he is hilarious! And he's awesome and I love him, haha. :D**

**Songs I used for this story:**

**1. ****Whispers In The Dark**** by **_**Skillet.**_

**2. ****Hello, Good Morning**** by **_**P. Diddy ft. Dirty Money.**_

**3. ****Virtual Diva**** by **_**Don Omar.**_

**4. ****Guardian Angel**** by **_**Tyler James Williams ft. Coco Jones.**_

**5. ****Safe and Sound**** by **_**Taylor Swift.**_

**6. ****Nothing and Everything**** by **_**Red.**_

**7. ****As Long As You Love Me**** by **_**Justin Bieber ft. Big Sean.**_

**8. ****By Your Side**** by **_**Nawlage ft. Truly Young.**_

**9. ****Words**** by **_**Skylar Grey.**_

**10. ****Nobody Wins**** by **_**The Veronicas.**_

**11. ****Two Is Better Than One**** by **_**Boys Like Girls ft. Taylor Swift.**_

**12. ****Understand**** by **_**Toi.**_

**13. ****Together We'll Make A Promise**** by **_**Cori Yarckin.**_

**Thank you all so much.**


End file.
